NCSOFT's North America unit NC America said on Wednesday it has secured global publishing rights for the new shooter game Defect (DEFECT).

Defect is a tactical first-person shooter in development by U.S. independent studio Empty Vessel. NCSOFT made a strategic equity investment in Empty Vessel in May last year.

Defect is being developed as a multi-platform title, including for PC, based on Unreal Engine 5. The two companies will focus their cooperation on developing new content, including single-player, and preparing for service for the global market.

Empty Vessel is a studio based in Austin, Texas, founded in 2023. It was set up by veteran developers who have participated in the development of multiple global AAA hits including Doom, Quake, Call of Duty, The Last of Us, Borderlands, Tomb Raider and Uncharted. The studio is focusing its capabilities on developing creative and highly polished new intellectual property based on broad experience in FPS and action-adventure genres.

Emanuel Palalic (에마누엘 파랄릭), chief executive officer of Empty Vessel, said, "This partnership will be a very important foothold in introducing a new shooter title to the global market." He added, "With NCSOFT's support, we expect to further strengthen the creative foundation for the single-player experience that will be newly added."

Jeonghee Jin (진정희), head of NC America, said, "Defect's gameplay centered on tactical close-quarters combat has a high chance of success even in the highly competitive global FPS market." She added, "As we have worked closely with the core development team since the early stages of development, we will support the developer more actively through this publishing partnership."