NC America Partners With emptyvessel to Publish Tactical Shooter DEFECT
Posted: Wed Mar 11, 2026 5:04 pm
NC AMERICA PARTNERS WITH INDEPENDENT DEVELOPER ‘EMPTYVESSEL’ TO PUBLISH DEFECT
Created by Former DOOM, Call of Duty, and The Last of Us Developers, DEFECT’s Studio Gains Stability and Publishing Power to Focus Resources on Both Multiplayer and Single-Player Gameplay
IRVINE, CA (MARCH 11, 2026) – NC America unveiled today it has partnered with independent developer emptyvessel to publish the close-quarter cyberpunk shooter, DEFECT. The agreement enables NC America to publish emptyvessel’s intense, tactical shooter on multiple platforms at a date to be revealed in the future.
DEFECT, a team-based, objective-driven first-person shooter, is designed to appeal to players craving an adrenaline-packed, cooperative multiplayer experience. By partnering with NC America, emptyvessel can now expand foundational support for its multiplayer gameplay while developing new single-player gameplay.
Founded in 2023 by industry veterans including CEO Emanuel Palalic and COO Garrett Young, emptyvessel’s team has amassed more than 100 years of experience building AAA games in major franchises such as DOOM, Quake, Call of Duty, and The Last of Us.
“This new partnership with NCSOFT really locks in our goal of bringing DEFECT to the world alongside a strong ally,” said Emanuel Palalic, CEO, emptyvessel. “NC’s support and guidance are helping us build a strong foundation for DEFECT’s single-player experience. In an era where many publishers have been moving away from supporting single-player in games, it’s refreshing to have NCSOFT’s support and trust in what we’re building.”
“We’ve worked closely with the core team at emptyvessel from the very start to make the jump from early cash-injections to signing on as publisher,” said Jeonghee “JJ” Jin, CEO NC America, COO, NC West/Arenanet. “We’re thrilled with the partnership agreement. We strongly believe DEFECT’s intense gameplay shows great promise against today’s tough FPS landscape.”
DEFECT is set in a dystopian city ruled by a divisive, enigmatic AI known as “THE SYSTEM”. With ruthless gangs and rogue law enforcement vying for supremacy, players can train in single-player mode for a deep offline experience, or team up cooperatively in 4v4v4v4 PvP squads for explosive, close-quarter firefights featuring dynamic multi-objective battles with advanced weapons and tech.
DEFECT is currently in development and available to Wishlist now via Steam, Epic Games Store and GOG.com. For more details, check the official game website and follow DEFECT on Facebook, Instagram and X. For more on emptyvessel, visit the official studio website. Follow them on X, LinkedIn and YouTube.
About emptyvessel
emptyvessel is an independent game development studio with a specialty in the immersive shooter space that believes in a simple ethos: with creative independence comes greatness. The team at emptyvessel comprises world-class developers with more than 100 years of combined experience who have held critical roles at Activision, Crystal Dynamics, Disney, id Software, Microsoft, Naughty Dog, Tripwire Interactive and more. Currently in development, DEFECT is a new game IP that aims to deliver a unique Immersive Objective Shooter experience. From the creative minds of emptyvessel comes a cyberpunk, squad-based shooter set in a future besieged by omnipresent AI, criminal warfare, and rogue law enforcement. Based in Austin, Texas, the studio operates fully remote with development talent located worldwide in locations across the US, Japan, Australia and Europe. For further information, visit https://www.emptyvessel.io.
ABOUT NC AMERICA
NC America is the western publishing division and strategic global base for NCSOFT, the leading global publisher and developer of the acclaimed original IPs Blade & Soul®, Lineage®, AION®, and Guild Wars®. With an office in Irvine, CA, NC America oversees the live-production and publishing responsibilities for select NCSOFT titles in North America, South America, Europe, and Oceania. In the future, NC America will expand its NCSOFT-developed portfolio and launch original third-party titles to the global market.
Created by Former DOOM, Call of Duty, and The Last of Us Developers, DEFECT’s Studio Gains Stability and Publishing Power to Focus Resources on Both Multiplayer and Single-Player Gameplay
IRVINE, CA (MARCH 11, 2026) – NC America unveiled today it has partnered with independent developer emptyvessel to publish the close-quarter cyberpunk shooter, DEFECT. The agreement enables NC America to publish emptyvessel’s intense, tactical shooter on multiple platforms at a date to be revealed in the future.
DEFECT, a team-based, objective-driven first-person shooter, is designed to appeal to players craving an adrenaline-packed, cooperative multiplayer experience. By partnering with NC America, emptyvessel can now expand foundational support for its multiplayer gameplay while developing new single-player gameplay.
Founded in 2023 by industry veterans including CEO Emanuel Palalic and COO Garrett Young, emptyvessel’s team has amassed more than 100 years of experience building AAA games in major franchises such as DOOM, Quake, Call of Duty, and The Last of Us.
“This new partnership with NCSOFT really locks in our goal of bringing DEFECT to the world alongside a strong ally,” said Emanuel Palalic, CEO, emptyvessel. “NC’s support and guidance are helping us build a strong foundation for DEFECT’s single-player experience. In an era where many publishers have been moving away from supporting single-player in games, it’s refreshing to have NCSOFT’s support and trust in what we’re building.”
“We’ve worked closely with the core team at emptyvessel from the very start to make the jump from early cash-injections to signing on as publisher,” said Jeonghee “JJ” Jin, CEO NC America, COO, NC West/Arenanet. “We’re thrilled with the partnership agreement. We strongly believe DEFECT’s intense gameplay shows great promise against today’s tough FPS landscape.”
DEFECT is set in a dystopian city ruled by a divisive, enigmatic AI known as “THE SYSTEM”. With ruthless gangs and rogue law enforcement vying for supremacy, players can train in single-player mode for a deep offline experience, or team up cooperatively in 4v4v4v4 PvP squads for explosive, close-quarter firefights featuring dynamic multi-objective battles with advanced weapons and tech.
DEFECT is currently in development and available to Wishlist now via Steam, Epic Games Store and GOG.com. For more details, check the official game website and follow DEFECT on Facebook, Instagram and X. For more on emptyvessel, visit the official studio website. Follow them on X, LinkedIn and YouTube.
About emptyvessel
emptyvessel is an independent game development studio with a specialty in the immersive shooter space that believes in a simple ethos: with creative independence comes greatness. The team at emptyvessel comprises world-class developers with more than 100 years of combined experience who have held critical roles at Activision, Crystal Dynamics, Disney, id Software, Microsoft, Naughty Dog, Tripwire Interactive and more. Currently in development, DEFECT is a new game IP that aims to deliver a unique Immersive Objective Shooter experience. From the creative minds of emptyvessel comes a cyberpunk, squad-based shooter set in a future besieged by omnipresent AI, criminal warfare, and rogue law enforcement. Based in Austin, Texas, the studio operates fully remote with development talent located worldwide in locations across the US, Japan, Australia and Europe. For further information, visit https://www.emptyvessel.io.
ABOUT NC AMERICA
NC America is the western publishing division and strategic global base for NCSOFT, the leading global publisher and developer of the acclaimed original IPs Blade & Soul®, Lineage®, AION®, and Guild Wars®. With an office in Irvine, CA, NC America oversees the live-production and publishing responsibilities for select NCSOFT titles in North America, South America, Europe, and Oceania. In the future, NC America will expand its NCSOFT-developed portfolio and launch original third-party titles to the global market.