Vela Games, a new studio based in Dublin and founded by former Riot Games and EA veterans, has opened sign-ups for early alpha testing of its debut project.
The game, which has the working title Project-V, aims to reimagine multiplayer gaming by rebuilding cooperative play from the ground up.
Project-V is a brand new IP set in a ‘science-fantasy’ universe that will feature an evolving narrative and setting.
It will combine the feel of running MMO dungeons with the teamplay skill mastery of MOBAs and Vela’s approach to ‘frictionless co-op’ envisioned as a new genre they’re calling MOCO (Multiplayer Online Co-Op).
Testing will begin in 2021.
Vela Games was founded with the goal of reimagining how players play together in competitive, skill-based games to create high octane experiences while also fostering a more positive social experience. It is a goal that has shaped Project-V and will continue to inform every step of its development.
Project-V draws on the expertise of a team with nearly 30 years of collective experience working at Riot Games on League of Legends.
“It’s still early days for Project-V, but we’re thrilled to offer a sneak peek at a few of our characters, and let a small pool of players test out what we’ve been working on as soon as possible,” said CEO and co-founder Travis George.
Travis worked at Riot Games for nine years, first as an early designer/producer on League of Legends before launch, then as product lead for Seasons 2-5.
He added: “At Vela we value our player-focused approach to design. At the start of each day we all get together to play the game and share feedback as a group, so we’re excited to see what our first players have to add to the conversation.”
Vela Games is comprised of 20 developers and artists with prior experience at Telltale Games, Codemasters, Maxis, Ubisoft Montpellier and IO Interactive, among other studios.
Project-V is in the early stages of development. Further details regarding launch platforms and release timings will be announced at a later date.
Players can register their interest and join the early community on Discord by visiting https://vela.games
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Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.
As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.