GTA veterans join Leslie Benzies at new studio, announce first project as Everywhere

GTA granddaddy brings a few uncles into the fold.

Grand Theft Auto veterans Matthew Smith and Colin Entwhistle have joined Leslie Benzies in his new venture.

Smith was an audio lead at Rockstar, while Entwhistle was lead camera programmer, and both left Rockstar in 2015 before regrouping with Benzies more recently. The three all played important roles in GTA 5 and GTA Online.

Benzies has founded several new gaming companies but GamesIndustry reports the studio formed by the three GTA Online veterans doesn't have a formal name yet.

It does, however, have a first project - and it's not the mysterious Time for a New World. Called Everywhere, it's described as "a platform where players can be entertained, and also entertain others while blurring the lines between reality and a simulated world". That has some resonance with GTA Online, doesn't it? Given what an enormous runaway success GTA 5's online multiplayer suite has been, you can't blame its estranged designer for wanting to continue exploring that space.

Everywhere will leverage Amazon Web Services, Twitch integration and Amazon Gamelift server hosting, and is being build in Amazon Lumberyard, a free game engine based on CryEngine. Amazon is forking out funding for the project, too.