Early last month we published a story about Chris Hewish, the former Head of Studio at Raw Data and Sprint Vector developer Survios, leaving the VR company. According to both parties it was a completely amicable parting performed purely for growth-related business reasons as both looked to continue moving in separate directions. Now we know where Hewish is headed next: Skydance Media.
In a phone call with UploadVR, Hewish explained that he would be joining the company as their new Executive Vice President of Interactive, effective immediately. “I’ll be working closely with Skydance Interactive to help build out the publishing arm and assist with strategy,” explained Hewish. “I intend on having a strong focus on VR content.”
Prior to joining Survios, Hewish had been at Activision for 10 years and Dreamworks Interactive for six. His deep experience in the games industry, as well as prior work with a VR-focused studio, bodes well for what he is poised to bring to the table with Skydance as they continue to get more involved with immersive entertainment.
“Skydance has done an incredible job of establishing itself as a visionary creator of topnotch film and television content, and Archangel is well positioned to be a fun and highly immersive new offering for VR gamers,” added Hewish in an official statement. “To join the team at this stage is an amazing opportunity to help grow the interactive business by creating games that reflect the world-building for which Skydance is known.”
We had the chance to go hands-on with Archangel at GDC 2017 earlier this year and came away with positive impressions regarding the game’s intense action and surprisingly articulated narrative. It doesn’t appear to fully capture the Gundam/Pacific Rim mech fantasy, but it’s certainly a step in that direction.
Skydance is expected to have a presence of some kind at E3 next month, so we will have to wait and see what they decide to show.
