Loric Games announced today that it’s both closed a new round of funding on its upcoming game, and that it’s also made a major staffing change. The studio’s appointed Jeff Hickman as its new Chief Production Officer, where he will work with the studio’s dev teams. Loric has also raised $4 million in its latest round of funding, which it plans to put towards its first game, an unnamed project currently in development.

Hickman is an industry veteran whose previous work includes the likes of Electronic Arts, BioWare, and Mythic Entertainment. It was at the latter studio where he previously worked with Loric COO Rob Denton, CEO Brian Johnson, CTO Colin Shannon and producer Ray Soto, as well as other members of the Loric team.

Hickman told GamesBeat in an email interview, “They were some of the best years of my professional career. Reuniting with them at Loric is truly like coming home. We know how each other thinks, what great games look and feel like and are dedicated to making amazing games for our players. I haven’t been this happy at work in years.”

Johnson told GamesBeat that Hickman’s focus on the player is valuable to the team: “While his experience is clearly paramount, it is his deep investment in culture that makes him such a great fit with the team. His passion for a strong, player-centric culture is key to maintaining our high standards across all studios. It’s not just his experience, but his dedication to doing right by the player that’s going to level up every part of Loric. And honestly, I know I speak for the entire leadership team when I say we are just super stoked to have him steering this ship with us.

Funding and upcoming games

1AM Gaming led the round of funding with Hiro Capital participating. Louis Gresham, co-founder of 1AM, said they were motivated by personal experience with the Loric team’s previous games. He said in a statement, “Everyone at 1AM can blame Brian, Rob, Jeff – and many of the Loric Games team – for sleepless nights up late with our friends raiding the Hibs in Dark Age of Camelot. For that alone, we almost invested in their new project. But it was learning about their vision for the game and knowing that they have a desire to steer co-op RPGs in a whole new direction that made us realize we wanted to be a part of what they’re building.”

The Loric team is keeping details about their upcoming title under wraps for now, though they have given hints. In the announcement, Loric says this investment will go towards its efforts creating “cutting-edge co-op RPGs.” Johnson told GamesBeat that the new project is based on the team’s previous experience. “Many of us are embracing this project as a return to our game development roots, rekindling the passion and creativity that started our journeys. We’re channeling all this experience into challenging the status quo and innovating in a genre we’re deeply passionate about, one that’s poised for significant evolution.”

Johnson added that the immediate priority is building out the Loric team. “Right now, we’ve got our sights set on our first game and are on the hunt to amp up our already stellar team. We’re looking for that perfect mix of seasoned industry pros with heaps of experience and energetic, fresh talent bursting with innovative ideas. These are the folks who are as fired up about pushing the boundaries in gaming as we are, crucial in helping us craft immersive, story-driven experiences that not only captivate but truly inspire our players.”