Escape Velocity Entertainment

Escape Velocity Entertainment is an independent, remote-first AAA game development studio co-founded in 2022 by industry veterans Haden Blackman and Jan Kratochvil. The distributed team works across North America and Europe while developing an ambitious original online multiplayer action game with an established publisher.

The studio focuses on creating games designed to welcome players across different skill levels, physical limitations, identities, and backgrounds. Its development approach emphasizes transparency, autonomy, inclusion, and a culture of play, with an operating model intended to support creative contribution and team well-being.

Development capabilities

Escape Velocity works across the full game-development lifecycle, including:

• Game concept development, combat design, systems design, and level design
• Unreal Engine 5 development, visual scripting, and real-time gameplay engineering
• Multiplayer map construction, live-service systems, and online infrastructure
• Game AI and machine-learning integration
• Art production, animation, visual effects, audio engineering, and Wwise middleware integration
• Quality assurance and platform-certification testing

Its current production is an unannounced original-IP multiplayer action project being developed in Unreal Engine 5. The studio’s work combines action-combat mechanics, high-performance real-time visuals, multiplayer technology, and gameplay systems for PC and console audiences.

Founded after Blackman’s departure from Hangar 13 in 2022, Escape Velocity was built by leaders with experience across large-scale game development. Blackman previously served as founding president and chief creative officer of Hangar 13, while Kratochvil previously served as CTO. Together, the founders established Escape Velocity as an independent studio pursuing creator-focused game development and original interactive entertainment.