The original founders of
Killzone studio Guerrilla have established Vanguard Entertainment Group, an entity that combines aspects from online and console gaming businesses.
Vanguard comes from Martin de Ronde (pictured) and Michiel Mol, co-founders of Amsterdam-based Guerrilla. The two sold that studio to Sony in 2005.
The new Vangard Entertainment Group, also based in Amsterdam, combines de Ronde and Mol's online game production company Karami with PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade studio W! Games, developer of
Greed Corp.
The merger of the two entities under Vanguard means the company will take "the fundamental mechanics of the fast growing market of PC online games and applying them to products for consoles and other premium platforms," according to a statement.
De Ronde, who's acting as Vanguard's chief commercial officer, said that the company views the console market as "the heart of our industry" in terms of revenue and high production values. But the popularity of online games and social networks is impossible to ignore.
"We feel both these market segments will be rapidly converging over the coming years, rather than competing with each other," de Ronde said. "...It will be Vanguard’s mission to capitalize on the need for new types of online content on consoles, which it will be doing with games based on original IP."
The new company is working on "several new projects," with the first to be announced soon.
