J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot is branching out from movies and TV shows to join the world of video games. Known for the likes of Lost, the Mission: Impossible franchise, Paramount's rebooted Star Trek series, and 2015's Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Bad Robot is now set to focus its storytelling expertise on the gaming industry.

Currently working on Mission: Impossible - Fallout, Star Wars: Episode IX, and zombie-fest Overlord, Bad Robot Productions currently has its plate full on the silver screen. Not content with stopping at live-action television and feature films, Abrams is casting his net wider and trying something new. Much more than just a quick game launched to help promote a movie, Bad Robot Games will be able to fulfill Abrams' hopes of moving into games as well. Speaking at 2013's DICE video game summit in Las Vegas, Abrams expressed an interest in working with Valve on big, world-building games.

Bad Robot president and COO Brian Weinstein announced the news on June 7 that the company is moving into new territory. Having run Bad Robot’s games and interactive content creation since 2006, Dave Baronoff will be heading up the new division. Chinese media giant Tencent (they own parts of PUBG, Fortnite, and Ubisoft) is part of the deal, while Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment will be a minority investor. Speaking about the partnership, Abrams said he is looking forward to the new opportunities:

“I’m a massive games fan, and increasingly envious of the amazing tools developers get to work with, and the worlds they get to play in. Now we are doubling down on our commitment to the space with a unique co-development approach to game making that allows us to focus on what we do best, and hopefully be a meaningful multiplier to our developer partners. Dave’s creativity, deep passion and skillful leadership will be incredibly valuable as we harness our partner Tencent’s expertise, experience and reach to bring our games to audiences around the world.”

The newly-formed Bad Robot Games will work on PC, consoles, and mobile to cover all corners of the market while focusing on AAA and indie games in particular. Tencent will presumably hold the commercial and distribution rights. Bad Robot has dabbled with games before including 2008's Cloverfield ARG. Elsewhere, Abrams is reportedly still attached to Epic Games' upcoming game SPYJINX. As the Cloverfield series continues on the big screen, expect the games to follow suit.

Barnoff certainly has the credentials to head up Bad Robot Games having previously worked on the Cloverfield game, SPYJINX, and Bad Robot's "Pass Time" mode for Team Fortress 2. With Bad Robot already holding rights to some major franchises, the possibilities are frankly endless. Although a Lost TV reboot may be currently off the cards, just imagine a trip back to that infamous island for a survival RPG with the Dharma Initiative. There is no word on what Bad Robot Games will be working on first, but with E3 around the corner, stay tuned.