Former Sony Online Entertainment staffers Mat Broome and Kevin McPherson team up with Square Enix alumni and recent CloudGate co-founder Mike Fischer

Ex-EverQuest, H1Z1 and Planetside devs form Hero Machine Studios

A pair of developers who worked on games including DC Universe Online, EverQuest, H1Z1 and Planetside 2 have started up their own studio.

Mat Broome (pictured) and Kevin McPherson formerly worked on the aforementioned titles at Sony Online Entertainment.

They are joined by Mike Fisher, the ex-Epic Games and Square Enix exec who earlier this week partnered with the creators of VR game The Brookhaven Experiment to found CloudGate Studio.

Together the trio will work under the label of Hero Machine Studios, currently putting together their debut game, Kinetik.

Kinetik is described as a tactical RPG shooter with co-op and multiplayer modes, built in Unreal Engine 4.

Hero Machine has launched a Kickstarter campaign for the game, seeking $15,000 in funding. A subsequent release on Steam Early Access is planned for early 2017, with PS4 and Xbox One launches to follow.

About MCV Staff

Check Also

Blog header 2026 IG50 [Industry news] Ubisoft backs IG50 Awards as Into Games opens applications for 2026 cohort

[Industry news] Ubisoft backs IG50 Awards as Into Games opens applications for 2026 cohort

UK games charity Into Games has today opened applications for IG50 2026, its annual programme that recognises 50 of the most talented yet-to-be-hired people in UK games from working-class and low-income backgrounds. The announcement comes as Ubisoft joins as the headline sponsor and as Into Games confirms that 11 winners from the previous 2025 cohort have been placed in paid roles in the UK games industry through its Boost placement programme.