Microsoft’s The Initiative, a “AAAA” studio working on high-quality next-gen experiences, has hired yet another God of War and Sony Santa Monica veteran.
As spotted by Twitter user Klobrille (via Windows Central), Erik Jakobsen joined The Initiative as Principal Environment Artist sometime this month. He served Santa Monica Studio for nine years, with his most recent role being Senior Staff Environment Artist on 2018’s award-winning God of War. Prior to this, Jakobsen worked as Senior Environment Artist on God of War: Ascension, and was also one of the senior artists behind an unannounced Sony Santa Monica project that was later cancelled.
Not much is known about the cancelled game but artwork leaked in 2017 suggested that a sci-fi themed game was in the works before Sony decided to pull the plug.
Outside of Sony, Jakobsen has worked for various companies in his 20-year career, including Turtle Rock Studios and Activision. His portfolio includes games like Left 4 Dead and The Saboteur.
The Initiative has been on an impressive hiring spree, adding experienced developers from studios like Naughty Dog, Rockstar Games, and Crystal Dynamics to its team. In January 2019, the studio hired God of War‘s Senior Staff Level Designer, Chris O’Neill, to its team.
What The Initiative is working on remains to be seen but if the recent hires are any indication, Microsoft is preparing to fire on all cylinders in the next generation.
[Source: LinkedIn via Windows Central]
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