Liithos, a newly formed AAA gaming and entertainment studio led by PlayStation veterans, announced it is working on its debut title Ashfall.

Pacific Northwest, hundreds of years in the future. Global warming has led to massive flooding and fires. The appearances of the Trace – pockets of dark energy – have created havoc with the weather and human lives, decimating entire cities. Civilization has collapsed into local Enclaves where humanity fights to survive..

Ashfall will have players fighting to survive a world scarred by global warming, the ignited volcanic Ring-of-Fire, mysterious and disruptive energy fields, and warring enclaves, beginning as an connected Single Player adventure that will evolve into a Multiplayer PVP & PVE cinematic transmedia world. Gamers can choose to play the game leveraging the Hedera network where scavenging, discovery and exclusivity are the focus for a build, sell and trade experience.

Ashfall currently has partnerships in place with legendary comic book creators, artists and influencers as the story will begin with a digital comic written by John Garvin, featuring cover art by Worldstorm and DC Comics’ Brett Booth. 

The world of Ashfall is the brainchild of John Garvin, a prolific PlayStation creative veteran who has written and directed some of the most popular and successful gaming franchises for Sony for over 25 years. Garvin created the phenomenon that was the massively successful open world game, Days Gone. He was also responsible for the most successful title in PlayStation Vita history; Uncharted: Golden Abyss. Over the course of his career, Garvin has shipped over a dozen AAA titles. Liithos brings these two powerhouses back together with the goal of revolutionizing gaming for the next generation of players.

The company has assembled a roster of top-selling, award-winning talent from the industry’s most renowned and recognizable teams including Michael Mumbauer (Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Liithos, formerly Founder & CEO of That’s No Moon and Head of PlayStation’s Visual Arts), and John Garvin (Vice President, Creative of Liithos, Writer and Director of Ashfall, former Bend Studio Creative Director of Days Gone and Syphon Filter).

Liithos wants to create a connected entertainment world, revolutionizing the way players experience AAA gaming. The team’s vision is led by industry veteran Michael Mumbauer, who pioneered development techniques at PlayStation Visual Arts for 13 years, where he was integral to driving innovation for three generations of gaming platforms from PS3 to PS5. Mumbauer helped bring beloved gaming characters such as Nathan Drake of Uncharted and Joel and Ellie of The Last of Us and Deacon St. John of Days Gone to life, and as a critical development partner for Naughty Dog, closed his chapter for Sony by helping to deliver the Last of Us Part II, the most awarded title in gaming history. 

“At Liithos, we want to deliver the next evolution of AAA gaming to the masses in connected ways that have never been experienced before,” said Michael Mumbauer, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Liithos. ”The gaming industry is amazing in that it has evolved through a series of innovations, never going backwards. We look forward to continuing that trend, working with partners like the HBAR Foundation in support of the Hedera network, who understand the potential and need for innovation without any harmful impact to the environment.”

“Michael and I have worked together creatively for almost two decades and this is our chance to create something really new and exciting. It’s like getting the band back together,” said John Garvin, Vice President, Creative of Liithos. “Our goal is to create a truly next-gen, open world experience that engages with new technologies to allow user-generated content. As always, our focus is on creating beloved characters, captivating stories and evolutionary gameplay and a world worth exploring, not just in games, but other media as well.” 

”The team that Michael has assembled at Liithos represents the top minds in AAA game development and the creation of transmedia IP,” said Alex Russman, VP and Head of the Metaverse Fund at The HBAR Foundation. “As Liithos lead the charge in bringing top-tier gaming into the Web3 era, creating richer and more rewarding experiences for their users, we are pleased to partner with them and support the development of Liithos’ games and ecosystem, both on the Hedera network and within the broader gaming industry.” 

Ashfall is the first true Web 3.0 AAA title for PC, Console, and the Hedera network.