A TV executive who worked on The Boys and The Walking Dead has started a new game firm

A senior media executive who helped bring TV versions of The Boys, The Walking Dead, and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has founded a new game studio.

According to an announcement made by Sharon Tal Yguado, NetEase Games has made a “high seven-figure pre-seed investment” in her new studio, Astrid Entertainment.

Yguado has established studio divisions at media companies like Amazon and Fox and has previously been named one of the most influential Hollywood media executives by Variety and The Hollywood Reporter.

She collaborated with AMC on The Walking Dead television series and acquired the worldwide rights for the program outside of the US and Canada. She later moved to Amazon Studios, where she picked up The Boys and oversaw The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.

Yguado has now focused on creating video games with Astrid Entertainment, “bringing together accomplished worldbuilders and game developers to craft fantastical living worlds that inspire positive, community play,” according to a statement.

“Astrid is building its first fantastical interactive world, grounded in rich lore, environmental worldbuilding, and system design to encourage the emergence of multiplayer stories,” the statement’s additional sentence reads.

“Players’ choices and activities will cause the evolution of worlds to differ. They will have the opportunity to travel, embark on adventures, encounter fascinating people, learn new skills, gather and share resources, all the while creating lasting new bonds.

I love creating complex worlds and seeing countless users interact with them to form communities, said Yguado.

A new generation is emerging that seeks something distinctive. They take pleasure in entering vivid worlds that grant them freedom, allow them to hang out with their friends, allow them to explore, discover, and allow them to write their own stories.

“I consider myself incredibly lucky to have connected with and partnered with like-minded, forward-thinking game developers who are already breaking new ground in this industry. Our amazingly brilliant gaming leadership team is something we can’t wait to reveal. Soon!”