Shadowrun: Dragonfall and BattleTech director Mike McCain has returned to his former studio Harebrained Schemes to head up work on the developer's next title.
Per a press release, McCain will both work on Harebrained Schemes' next game and "oversee [the studio's] transition back into an indie studio" following its split with former owner Paradox.
After directing Shadowrun: Dragonfall and BattleTech, McCain departed Harebrained Schemes to work on external projects, netting himself an Oscar as part of the team for short film The Boy, The Mole, The Fox, and the Horse.
He's also worked on "visual development" on the Netflix series Blue Eye Samurai and the excellent Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, so he's hardly returning to Harebrained Schemes with his tail between his legs, so to speak.
McCain says he's "thrilled" to be back with Harebrained Schemes, and that the team is currently enjoying a high level of "creative momentum" around its next project, which remains unannounced at time of writing.
His arrival comes as former studio manager Mitch Gitelman departs; he announced that he would step down at the end of last year, although he will remain "in an advisory role".
Harebrained Schemes was acquired by Paradox Interactive back in 2018, following the development of BattleTech.
The two studios' latest collaboration is The Lamplighters League, which was announced in March last year and released in October that same year.
Unfortunately, lackluster sales led to Paradox CEO Fredrik Wester describing the game as a "big disappointment", eventually leading to the two studios parting ways.
Right now, we don't know a lot about what the developer has planned next, but if it's a Harebrained Schemes and Mike McCain production, it'll likely incorporate some kind of turn-based tactical element.
We'll likely hear more about the new project in the coming months, so stay tuned for more as soon as we get it.
