Epic Games is opening a new studio in Cologne, Germany. Former Factor 5 studio heads Julian Eggebrecht and Achim Moller are leading Epic Games Cologne. The company says that the latest addition to its workforce will focus on “emerging forms of interactive media and streaming technologies.”
Gamers likely know Eggebrecht and Moller as the creative force responsible for Nintendo 64’s Star Wars: Rogue Squadron. But the pair have worked for years on the cutting-edge of technologies like video compression. Most recently, they have helped bring streaming-video platforms like Hulu to the Nintendo Switch. Their technical prowess and expertise goes back decades, however. Factor 5 was the team that ported the video-heavy Resident Evil 2 from a PlayStation CD to an N64 cartridge. Its Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine game features so much custom tech that it’s still one of the most difficult N64 games to emulate.
Now, that know-how is coming to Epic Games. And the company confirmed Eggebrecht’s role is director of online technology and Moller will act as studio director.
“At the core of Epic’s success are highly-skilled and passionate individuals,” Eggebrecht said. “Germany is a nation at the forefront of technology and we look forward to extending our local presence as we fill newly created roles and hire exceptional talent.”
Epic says that it is looking to hire for positions at the new studio.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to find my copy of Rogue Leader. I’m gonna play it over and over again like I did when the GameCube launched.