ProbablyMonsters Adds New Development Team, Multiplayer Game, and Chief Product Officer
Hidden Grove Team and Multiplayer Project Led by Former Bungie Creative Director Chris Opdahl Revealed Alongside New Chief Product Officer Adam Rymer, Who Will Oversee All Development Teams
BELLEVUE, WA – April 9, 2024 – ProbablyMonsters™, an independent video game company that aims to change the way games are made, continues to cultivate new development teams and games under Chief Product Officer, media and entertainment executive Adam Rymer. Additionally, the company revealed Hidden Grove, a new development team led by Chris Opdahl, which is working on an original multiplayer competitive adventure game using Unreal Engine 5.
Hidden Grove General Manager Chris Opdahl is a strong creative leader known for his roles on the Halo and Destiny franchises. Through his over 20 years of experience as a game developer, he has managed teams of 50 designers on Destiny 2, helped create and direct a multidisciplinary team of over 150 at Bungie, and contributed to multiple Halo titles as a designer and design lead. In addition to shipping multiple critically and commercially successful games, he is adept at creatively directing and managing large organizations while creating high functioning and empowered teams that build award-winning games.
Opdahl founded Hidden Grove with two Design Directors, Raylene Deck and Grant Mackay, who worked closely together for years on Destiny. They’re supported by a full leadership team of world-building, engineering, and production veterans, including Executive Producer Lori Ada Kilty, Art Director Jedd Chevrier, Senior Engineering Director Dean Johnson, and Narrative Director Kate Welch. Together, they bring significant AAA experience spread across Halo, Destiny, Mass Effect, Dungeons & Dragons, and more. Hidden Grove is hiring, seeking diverse, motivated, highly skilled people who share their passion for bringing something new into the world.
Hidden Grove Team (Left to Right): Chris, Raylene, Dean, Lori, Jedd, Grant, Kate
“At Hidden Grove, it’s not just about developing something different in the field of competitive multiplayer games – it’s about doing it better as a team,” said Chris Opdahl. “We believe that great games start with great teams, and we’re building a creative atmosphere where artists, engineers, and creators can come together and thrive.”
ProbablyMonsters continues its mission to unite, guide, and empower talented teams to redefine what it means to create and deliver exceptional games. ProbablyMonsters has multiple development teams and projects, along with ongoing incubation projects. The previously announced Battle Barge team is creating a next-gen co-op RPG game, Hidden Grove is working on its multiplayer game, and additional unannounced project teams are all working in the ProbablyMonsters ecosystem, befitting the company’s philosophy that teams are better together through shared resources and learning.
Leading all the ProbablyMonsters development teams is Rymer, a media and entertainment executive with expertise leading multi-functional teams across multiple business segments including film, gaming, TV, digital, sports, and music. The common thread of his 25 year career has been building and creating new opportunities at the intersection of content and technology, a skill he will leverage in his new position. At Legendary Digital Networks, he guided Nerdist and Geek & Sundry as innovators in new media through the Nerdist Podcast Network and the development of Critical Role. Previously, he was a senior executive at Universal Pictures where his team partnered on strategic initiatives for the studio including digital cinema, streaming services, gaming, and the overall film greenlight process. Most recently, he was CEO of OpTic Gaming, a top esports organization that won world championships in Call of Duty, Overwatch, and Halo.
As Chief Product Officer, providing advice, insight, and guidance to create opportunities for success across the board is a key part of Rymer’s role. He will report directly to Founder and CEO Harold Ryan. Rymer utilizes his rich experience set to help teams create original interactive experiences that deeply connect with their audiences.
“Our definition of product isn’t just the games here at ProbablyMonsters; it’s also the design of the teams themselves,” said Adam Rymer. “Beyond Hidden Grove, we have unannounced development projects that I’m excited for us to share in the future.”
ProbablyMonsters and its development teams are actively hiring and preparing to share more details on their projects in the coming months. ProbablyMonsters job openings can be found at probablymonsters.com/careers.
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About ProbablyMonsters
ProbablyMonsters™, an independent video game company, was founded in 2016 by former Bungie President and CEO, Harold Ryan. The company aims to change the way games are made by delivering industry-defining games within a healthy work culture. Headquartered in Bellevue, Washington, the company has a strong team of experienced and innovative game development leaders with a record of launching blockbuster projects. ProbablyMonsters’ mission is to unite, guide, and empower talent to redefine what it means to deliver exceptional games. For more information, visit probablymonsters.com.
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