Aftershock SF re-emerges as Fogbank Entertainment

FoxNext Games today announced the formation of Fogbank Entertainment, a San Francisco-based studio focused on building narrative game experiences.

The first title from the studio has not yet been announced, but it will be episodic in nature, and "draw from story, character and location elements based on acclaimed Fox IP and original content." No platforms were announced, but the studio's leadership is coming from the mobile studio Kabam San Francisco.

In fact, while FoxNext characterized Fogbank as a new studio, it appears to be a continuation of Kabam San Francisco itself. After Kabam sold its Vancouver studio to Netmarble in late 2016, the company spun off its Los Angeles and San Francisco studios into a stand-alone company called Aftershock. In June of 2017, Aftershock was acquired by FoxNext.

Fogbank Entertainment studio director Daniel Erickson and executive producer Nathan Germick worked at Kabam San Francisco as senior director of game design and senior director of project management, respectively. According to their LinkedIn profiles, both joined Fox Next around the time the acquisition was announced. On top of that, the official Aftershock studio page names Fogbank Entertainment as one of its two creative teams, along with the Los Angeles studio.

A representative told GamesIndustry.biz that Fogbank is currently about 20 people, with plans to staff up to 40. Inquiries as to Fogbank's ties to Kabam San Francisco were not immediately returned.

"FoxNext is committed to developing quality gaming experiences and Fogbank is going to help us to develop an interactive storytelling platform that allows us to expand on Fox's catalog of entertainment while also developing new, unique fiction," said Aaron Loeb, President of Studios, FoxNext Games. "Narrative and story-driven games continue to rank among the top grossing and most downloaded games across industry standards, and we're assembling a team of people dedicating to furthering the form."