From the creative minds of emptyvessel comes an original IP set in a futuristic, divided city ruled by an enigmatic AI system, all while ruthless gangs and rogue law enforcement vie for supremacy. Defect is being created by industry-leading developers behind iconic franchises including DOOM, Call of Duty, and The Last of Us.

emptyvessel debuted as a new independent game studio earlier this year, capitalizing on more than 100 years of combined game industry experience with some of the most genre-defining games. With a passion for creating games that deliver immersive experiences, Defect is the team’s first title, and is built using the groundbreaking Unreal Engine 5. Utilizing the latest technology and the team’s vision for delivering unique and exciting gameplay experiences, players will be immersed into a war between anarchy and authority that can only be found in Defect.

Revel in the anarchy of a city on the brink. Defect is an Immersive Objective Shooter set in the last city of mankind, where The system, an authoritarian AI, rules with inhuman logic. Players will choose from a collection of dangerous factions—The System’s own policing force, Rogue Police Elements, or a host of gangs vying for power to play with friends in PvP or co-op multiplayer. Compete to achieve objectives like smuggling guns, assassinating targets, or arresting suspects. Suit up with state-of-the-art weaponry and technology to give you the edge you need to live another day.

Korean publisher/developer NCSOFT announced today it completed a strategic equity investment in the independent, Austin, Texas-based development studio, emptyvessel.

“We started working on Defect with a simple belief, that great games come from focused, passionate teams who are empowered to take creative risks,” said emptyvessel Game Director Emanuel Palalic. “That’s why we’re excited to partner with NCSOFT. From the start, they’ve understood our goal, not just to build a game, but to build a better environment for the developers behind it. NCSOFT’s support and expertise will help us take Defect and Empty Vessel to the next level."

NC West, NCSOFT's North American subsidiary, made the investment in the studio earlier this week. Starting with this investment, NCSOFT and emptyvessel will form a long-term partnership and discuss various cooperation plans, including the publishing rights for Defect.

“Empty Vessel is a AAA development studio established by game art and sound experts with successful experience and fandom in the global major genre of shooting games,” said NCSOFT Co-CEO Byung-moo Park. “We will continue to invest in securing new global IPs and building a genre-specific cluster pipeline.”

Key Features:

• CONTROL VS CHAOS: Fight as the totalitarian forces crushing humanity beneath the boot of the law or the gang factions killing anyone between them and full control of the city.
• DYNAMIC ACTION: Fight in tense and tactical matches as a member of a four-person squad, as you attempt to fend off other teams eager to claim every credit and reward for their own. Every match has multiple objectives with different finales.
• PREPARE FOR ANARCHY: Come together with your squad to gear up and collect what you need in your squad car or gang hangout to be ready for anything the battle throws at you. While in the fight, keep a keen eye out for pickups that can change the course of the match. You never know what you'll find.

Defect is in development for PC (Steam).