Ex-Riot Developers Are Making an Open-World Adventure

The Believer Company, a new game studio founded by former Riot Games executives Michael Chow and Steven Snow, has secured $55 million in Series A funding to develop a high-budget, open-world title. Backed by investors including Andreessen Horowitz and Riot Games, the studio aims to bridge the gap between narrative-driven single-player experiences and session-based multiplayer games. The project is being pitched as a cooperative multiplayer adventure comparable to a private-server version of Genshin Impact or an multiplayer iteration of Breath of the Wild and Skyrim.

The leadership team, which includes veterans from Bungie, Electronic Arts, and Twitter, intends to differentiate the title by focusing on an optimistic, "uplifting" world design rather than the harsh environments typical of the genre. Beyond gameplay, the studio is adopting a transmedia strategy similar to Riot Games’ Arcane, with plans to develop an animated series alongside the game to expand the intellectual property. The funding will be primarily allocated toward employee salaries, the development of proprietary technology, and the integration of generative AI to streamline production.

Industry analysts note that while the studio possesses significant veteran talent and capital, the venture faces the inherent risks of the high-cost "forever game" model, which requires massive ongoing investment in servers and live-service support. The development timeline is estimated at three to five years, with the team currently focusing on conceptualization and technical infrastructure. This move reflects a broader industry trend of senior developers from major publishers like Blizzard and Riot forming independent, well-funded studios to pursue ambitious projects outside of traditional corporate structures.