'Rick and Morty' co-creator launches a new VR studio, Squanchtendo
Justin Roiland, co-creator of the Adult Swim hit Rick and Morty, is getting into the virtual reality business.
Roiland teamed up with Tanya Watson, a former executive producer at Epic Games, on a new VR studio that they've dubbed Squanchtendo. The name is a clever portmanteau that combines "Nintendo" with "Squanchy," one of the more colorful characters from the TV series.
The two share a goal of wanting to create in VR. Watson left Epic in April 2016 with the hopes of forming her own team. Roiland, meanwhile, has apparently been jotting down game ideas in paper form for the better part of two years.
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He told gamesindustry.biz that he has "about eight sketchbooks" in all, filled with concepts that he's now in a position to flesh out. It's not clear what they're working on now, but Watson mentioned that they're "shopping ... a comedy action RPG."
The pair's VR focus comes out of a shared love for the young and rapidly evolving platform. Roiland is one of the Kickstarter backers that helped make Oculus a reality and Watson's had an interest in the technology since trying the HTC Vive headset at a conference.
"We're just absolutely obsessed with it and enchanted by it and we want more experiences to play in it, so we're fans of it as well," Roiland said. "It's funny because I don't know if there's even that much money to be made right now in VR."
The fan community's first look at what Roiland and Watson are up to should happen soon. Squanchtendo will have some kind of presence at PAX West 2016, which kicks off on Sept. 2 in Seattle, Wash.
Roiland and Watson had a lot more to share with gi.biz, including some talk around why they're not working on the already-confirmed Rick and Morty VR game and a new comic strip announcing the studio's launch. Be sure to check it out, too.
Topics Gaming Virtual Reality
Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
