Ten industry veterans have formed a brand new development outfit named Colony Studios which aims to specialise in MMO content.

Staff members have between them worked on established MMO market leaders such as World of Warcraft, City of Heroes, Lord of the Rings Online, Ultima Online, Everquest and Dark Age of Camelot.

Former Eve Online producer Michael Wallis, who is fronting the studio, stated: " Our team members have been intimately involved with creating several successful MMOs and that combination will serve us well.

"The bottom line is we've launched MMOs before, and our experience lets us anticipate bumps in the road and steer clear of them. The fact that we've been through it before means things are much less likely to fall through the cracks."

The studio’s initial outing, due out in 2009, is to be a new IP featuring a dynamic, living world in which gamers are promised the chance to influence events.