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.

After making a strategic equity investment in Defect developer emptyvessel last year, NCSOFT America announced that is has now has partnered with emptyvessel to publish the close-quarter cyberpunk shooter. 

The agreement enables NC America to publish emptyvessel’s intense, tactical shooter on multiple platforms at a date to be revealed in the future.

By partnering with NC America, emptyvessel can now expand foundational support for its multiplayer gameplay while developing new single-player gameplay.

“This new partnership with NCSOFT really locks in our goal of bringing DEFECT to the world alongside a strong ally,” said Emanuel Palalic, CEO, emptyvessel. “NC’s support and guidance are helping us build a strong foundation for DEFECT’s single-player experience. In an era where many publishers have been moving away from supporting single-player in games, it’s refreshing to have NCSOFT’s support and trust in what we’re building.”

“We’ve worked closely with the core team at emptyvessel from the very start to make the jump from early cash-injections to signing on as publisher,” said Jeonghee “JJ” Jin, CEO NC America, COO, NC West/Arenanet. “We’re thrilled with the partnership agreement. We strongly believe DEFECT’s intense gameplay shows great promise against today’s tough FPS landscape.”

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 / Epic Games Store / GOG).