What do you get when you have developers from Naughty Dog, Santa Monica Studio, and Infinity Studio all under one roof? Well, we suppose we’ll find out as soon as That’s No Moon is ready to reveal whatever it’s been working on all this time.
Founded in 2021, That’s No Moon is a newly-established development studio staffed by industry veterans that, as per a former writers, is working on a AAA game based on an existing IP.
Specifically, Andrew Henderson lists on both Stage32 and his LinkedIn profile that he’s fresh off a 15-month contract for That’s No Moon for a “new AAA shipped game.”
📣 CALLING ALL ARTISTS…
Our Art Team is looking for passionate individuals to join our studio! If you're excited by AAA, narrative-driven experiences, and think you'd be a great fit for one of our roles, we'd love for you to apply on our website!
🔗 https://t.co/HwMbHtAuH0 pic.twitter.com/CmmpDhGVmn
— That's No Moon (@ThatsNoMoonEnt) September 27, 2023
Unfortunately, we don’t know much about That’s No Moon’s debut title except that it’s funded and it may be an action-adventure game that will “push the limits of both gameplay and story.” However, since we know t it’s based on a popular IP, things get more interesting.
Obviously, the first property that comes to mind is Star Wars. Disney hasn’t been shy of letting it known that it wants to see multiple Star Wars games come out every year. Not only that, but it seems like the House of Mouse has handed the license over to seemingly anybody who’s brave enough to ask. So far, the AAA outings set in a galaxy far, far away, have been on schedule.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, which is getting a backwards port for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, for some reason, was a commercial hit at launch and drew praise from critics, even though it wasn’t the most optimized title despite the initial delay. After this, it will be Ubisoft’s turn with Star Wars: Outlaws, a game that’s literally looking like the studio’s way of doubling down on its open-world formula.
The several other Star Wars games that are in development include the third Star Wars Jedi entry and at least two more from Respawn Entertainment, Skydance New Media’s Star Wars game, and Quantic Dream’s Star Wars Eclipse, which the studio is insisting hasn’t been delayed at all. Finally, don’t forget, Sony technically still hasn’t canceled the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Remake yet.
With at least one AAA Star Wars game guaranteed to come out every year for the remaining lifecycle of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S/X, it’s safe to say that Star Wars fans will be getting their fill, regardless if whether That’s No Moon throws its hat into the ring or not.
But, if it’s not Star Wars, what else could it possibly be? Another candidate is Marvel, which has apparently joined Star Wars in wanting to see more video game adaptations following the success of Marvel’s Spider-Man and Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales.
Off the top of our heads, these are the two properties we can think of for That’s No Moon’s debut title. At least, only a company like Disney seems to be trusting enough to let a new studio’s first game be off a “popular IP.”
Just because the developers staffed in a studio are good, this doesn’t guarantee a good game. Case in point, Immortals of Aveum, had all the makings of what could’ve been an excellent game. But, for more reasons than just coming out the same time as Baldur’s Gate 3, Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon, and Starfield, it failed to even attract more than a thousand players on Steam. Now, the developers are forced to lay off staff members to keep itself afloat.
In any case, a closer look at That’s No Moon’s social media accounts shows that it’s still looking for members of its Art Team, with more than half of its current job openings belonging to this department alone. This suggests that the game is still very much in its infancy and all they have is the story, for now. So, the earliest we’ll probably hear about That’s No Moon’s debut title is a year away, and that’s only if it’s willing to cobble up a trailer to showcase what they’ve done so far.
