Highdive

Highdive is a Canadian AAA game-development studio creating original intellectual property and contributing to cross-studio productions. Established in Montréal in 2019 as NetEase Games Montréal, the organization adopted the Highdive name in November 2024 as part of its fifth-anniversary rebrand.

Operating within NetEase Games’ ThunderFire division, the studio combines its own creative development with international co-development work. Its teams collaborate across disciplines including engineering, level design, environment art, technical art, visual effects, lighting, quality assurance, user research, analytics, and playtesting.

Development capabilities

Highdive works primarily with Unreal Engine 5 for AAA PC and console game production. Its capabilities span:

• Full-cycle game development and co-development production
• Level layout, mission pacing, level art, and modular environment creation
• 3D modelling, texturing, visual effects, lighting, and technical-art workflows
• UX research, moderated playtests, and game-data analytics
• Build validation and quality-assurance testing

The studio supports both remote and in-person player research, using feedback and testing activity as part of its development process. Cross-cultural collaboration with ThunderFire teams also informs its production and technical workflows.

Games and original IP

Highdive has contributed to projects including FragPunk, the 5v5 hero shooter developed with Bad Guitar Studio and ThunderFire, and Naraka: Bladepoint, the multiplayer action battle royale co-developed with 24 Entertainment and ThunderFire. Its work also includes collaborative production on Blood Message, a historical action-adventure project built in Unreal Engine 5.

Alongside these partnerships, Highdive is developing an unannounced original UE5 action-adventure IP. The studio’s portfolio reflects a balance between major co-development engagements and the creation of new AAA interactive experiences.