After top EA developers Glen Schofield and Michael Condrey left the publisher and their newly renamed studio, Visceral Games (Dead Space, Dante’s Inferno), earlier this year to pursue further careers at Activision Blizzard, not much was known about what they would be up to next at EA’s rival, aside from the news that the pair would be leading a new studio to work on a game based on one of Activision’s past franchises.

This secret new studio, previously only known as ‘Activision Bay Area,’ has now been formally named by Activision as Sledgehammer Games, based in Foster City, California, with Schofield (as Vice President and General Manager of the studio) and Condrey (as Vice President and COO) at the helm.

Sledgehammer is currently “in development on an as-yet-unannounced new videogame,” according to Activision Blizzard, with no other details on the project released. Executive Vice President of Studios at Activision, Dave Stohl did gush a little bit, though:

“Both Glen and Michael have outstanding reputations in the industry through their work as GM and COO of Visceral Games, and as the leadership of the Dead Space development team.

“We are excited to add their combined 30 years of experience and expertise to our management team.”

Glen Schofield followed that up by saying: “Michael and I are thrilled to be building a brand new studio for Activision. This was an opportunity for us to assemble a world-class team made up of developers with a proven track record in delivering top-rated games.”

“Activision Blizzard’s independent studio model is very empowering,” Michael Condrey added. “We have a fantastic new studio facility, the foundation for a world-class team and the backing of the industry’s most profitable game publisher.

“This was a rare opportunity we couldn’t pass up and we are thankful for the support the Activision organization has shown us.”

Tags: activisionblizzard, dantesinferno, deadspace, ea, sledgehammergames