New Xbox Studio The Initiative Adds Alumni From Respawn, BioWare And Naughty Dog

The Initiative, Microsoft's internal development studio that opened last year, continues to build up its talented roster of employees.

The studio's latest staff acquisitions, according to Video Game Chronicle, include veterans from some major studios. These include Ryan Duffin, a former lead animator at BioWare; Ryan Trowbridge, and artist for Uncharted 4; Sean Slayback, a designer on Apex Legends; and Justin Walters, an environmental artist who worked on 2016's Doom.

They join employees such as Brian Westergaard (2018's God of War), Drew Murray (Sunset Overdrive), and Daniel Neuburger (Rise of the Tomb Raider). The Initiative's full employee list now consists of 32 people.

The Initiative was first announced during E3 2018, alongside several studio acquisitions, as Microsoft pushes for a stronger first-party line-up going forward.

Earlier this year, The Initiative released a video (embedded above) to build up some hype for the studio's upcoming output. As of now, though, it's unclear what the studio is working on, and whether they're creating games for the Xbox One or for the upcoming XBox Scarlett.

The Initiative is now one of 15 internal studios owned by Microsoft.