The studio formed by 2K last year, previously known as 2K Silicone Valley, has seen a rebrand and an expansion, headed by industry veteran Michael Condrey.
The studio is now named 31st Union, and has seen a new office for the studio also open in Spain as 2K looks to expand on their in-house development teams. Michael Condrey is currently heading the teams in both the U.S. and Spain and has a wealth of experience in the industry, having previously worked with Visceral Games on Dead Space, and with Activision on the Call of Duty franchise.
Currently, the only games that are known to be in active development at 2K games are their annual releases of NBA 2K and WWE 2K and a currently unnamed Bioshock game. However, the two sports titles already have Visual Concepts as their established developers, and a new studio was opened with the intention of developing the Bioshock title. The studio, according to the press release from 2K’s parent company Take-Two, is working on a new IP.
Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz, Condrey explains the reasoning for the name change is to represent the state of Califonia’s spirit. “The team ended up generating well over 1,000 potential names,” he said. “In the end, we chose 31st Union to represent the spirit of California—the 31st state to join the Union in 1850—and our home in the San Francisco Bay Area. We live in an amazing place that is rich in diversity of thought, music, culture, and the arts, and it’s set against the backdrop of many great leaders in technology, innovation, and interactive entertainment.”
With 2K looking to expand their portfolio with further new studios and talent, it could be gearing up to take on the new generation with plenty of games.
