emptyvessel

emptyvessel is an independent AAA game development studio founded in Austin, Texas, building original IP for PC and console. The remote-first team works across more than 35 cities while maintaining an Austin corporate headquarters, bringing together experienced developers from studios including id Software, Naughty Dog, Activision, Crystal Dynamics, Tripwire Interactive, and Gearbox Software.

The studio was founded by Emanuel Palalic, Co-Founder, CEO and Game Director, and Garrett Young, Co-Founder, COO and General Manager. Its stated philosophy, “with creative independence comes greatness,” frames a developer-first approach intended to give experienced creators room to take artistic and design risks outside more risk-averse publishing structures.

Game development focus

emptyvessel specializes in immersive first-person shooter development, with particular emphasis on tactical, objective-based squad experiences for both PvP and co-op play. Its capabilities include:

• Full-cycle proprietary game development for PC and consoles
• Original IP creation, game design, visual effects, and 3D character and environment animation
• Unreal Engine 5 development and photorealistic environment art
• Cloud-native infrastructure and distributed production pipelines built on Amazon Web Services
• Cyberpunk world-building, sound design, and environmental-destruction mechanics

DEFECT

The studio’s debut project is DEFECT, an original cyberpunk squad-based immersive objective shooter in development for PC and consoles. Set in a dystopian future controlled by an authoritarian artificial intelligence known as “THE SYSTEM,” the game pits rival factions—including policing units, rogue officers, and street syndicates—against one another in multi-objective tactical encounters and narrative missions.

DEFECT is designed around dynamic 4v4v4v4 engagements as well as standalone narrative content. NC America is the game’s worldwide publishing partner. The title is emptyvessel’s sole studio-developed credit to date; well-known games associated with members of its team represent their prior work at former employers rather than emptyvessel productions.

As an independent studio backed by venture and strategic investors, emptyvessel combines a distributed operating model with a focused effort to create high-end tactical shooter experiences.