Former Blizzard co-head and president form new, inclusive studio in aftermath of Activision lawsuit

(Image credit: Magic Soup Games)

The former co-head and president of Blizzard have announced a brand new studio, Magic Soup Games, that will focus on massive, inclusive games "that make you feel good" following the Activision Blizzard lawsuit of 2021.

The new studio was founded by former Blizzard co-head Jen Oneal (who left the company two years ago), former Blizzard president J. Allen Brack, as well as former Blizzard chief of staff and VP of special projects John Donham. According to Magic Soup Games' website, the new studio is dedicated to "creating games that bring people together and help them forge new friendships."

In a statement to Games Industry, Oneal said: "J., John, and I have similar ideas about the types of games we want to make, and we’re tightly aligned on company goals and principles, so this was a natural fit for us.” The former Blizzard lead adds that, "we know the quality of our games will be a reflection of our team culture. We’re doing the work up front to make sure we’re fostering creativity, fully remote collaboration, and a diversity of backgrounds."

There's no word yet on what games the studio is working on, but its LinkedIn page has revealed that it plans to "cook up original AAA games" that are "genuinely uplifting and inclusive for players around the world." The account also confirms that "Magic Soup is currently at work on an announced game and is in the process of filling out an experienced startup team," meaning the project is still in the early stages of development.

To find out what other games can look forward to, take a look at our new games 2023 list.

After studying Film Studies and Creative Writing at university, I was lucky enough to land a job as an intern at Player Two PR where I helped to release a number of indie titles. I then got even luckier when I became a Trainee News Writer at GamesRadar+ before being promoted to a fully-fledged News Writer after a year and a half of training. My expertise lies in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, cozy indies, and The Last of Us, but especially in the Kingdom Hearts series. I'm also known to write about the odd Korean drama for the Entertainment team every now and then.