Midnight Society: Dr Disrespect, Robert Bowling launch AAA game studio
Guy Beahm, better known these days as Dr Disrespect, is returning to his roots of game development.
The game developer turned streamer announced the formation of a new AAA game studio, Midnight Society. I’m not 100 percent sure if the name is inspired by the hit Nickelodeon show Are You Afraid of the Dark? but I love it anyway.
In any case, Beahm is teaming up with industry veterans Robert Bowling (Call of Duty) and Quinn DelHoyo (Halo, Gears of War) to deliver “the best, most community-focused, online PVP multiplayer experience the world has ever seen.”
That’s quite a goal they’ve set for themselves but they’ve certainly got the experience and talent to pull it of. Beahm actually worked alongside Bowling on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, while DelHoyo worked as a level designer for Gears of War and Halo. CoD, Gears and Halo have traditionally offered some of the best multiplayer gameplay, so it will be interesting to see how they can use this experience to elevate the industry.
One key difference, it seems, is how they are approaching game development. Recognizing that the industry has changed with the emergence of social media and streaming, Midnight Society will look to the general gaming community and influencers “much earlier in the development process.”
Some publishers have leaned into this approach recently, such as EA with its Game Changers program, but Midnight Society has the benefit of having some of the most influential video game streamers as its founders. In other words, they probably have a better idea of what they are doing when it comes to leveraging the community for feedback.
A job posting on Beahm’s website also adds some additional intriguing details about the leverage of a centralized platform “that includes some of the best crypto concepts and community to maximize their launch and ‘Day 1’ community base.”
Beahm is a well-known and controversial video game streamer who was actually permanently banned from Twitch in 2020. While he did not publicly disclose the reason for his ban, he supposedly knows why and is “suing the f**k” out of the company. Beahm returned to streaming in late 2020, finding a new home on YouTube, but it’s clear he’s got more envisioned for himself than just an entertainer.