100 Thieves were making a video game: Project X developers, FPS details, more

100 Thieves, Nadeshot’s very own esports and gaming entertainment brand, announced it would be making a video game, but it looks like development on Project X has slowed down in recent years, so here is everything we know.

Founded in 2017, 100 Thieves has become one of the biggest lifestyle and gaming outlets in the world. As an organization, 100 Thieves has teams competing in many of the major esports such as League of Legends, Apex Legends, Call of Duty, and more.

Whether it’s audio and visual content, esports, and even clothing and apparel, the limit for what 100 Thieves can do is sky-high. And with the recent announcement that they will be developing a completely new and fresh video game, it seems as though the sky really is the limit for this organization. 

The initial announcement that 100 Thieves are making a game was made on May 16, 2022. Founder and CEO Matthew “Nadeshot” Haag sat down with then-President and COO John Robinson to share the news as well as give a brief insight into the initial details and plans for the game. 

Since then, it has been mostly silent from the devs and 100 Thieves, although, it seems the esports org may not be involved with the game any longer after Nadeshot mentioned the game not being part of their operations any longer.

So here is everything we know about Project X.

Is Project X dead?

In an interview on August 20, 2024, Nadeshot was asked about 100 Theives’ revenue streams and mentioned that Project X was no longer part of the org.

This news hasn’t been officially announced, however, it looks like the esports org is no longer working on the game.

Before this, the last update we got for Project X was in November 2023, when amid 100 Thieves layoffs it was announced that they were “spinning off” their game development studio.

As of writing, Project X’s Twitter has been largely inactive for nearly a year, with the last tweet being in March 2023 and the last repost in November of the same year.

Additionally, its website no longer works and leads to a 403 forbidden error.

What is Project X and what should players expect from the title?

In the second video released on June 16, the team stayed pretty tight-lipped about what kind of game they had cooking up. However, they did rule out the idea of a mobile game or something of that style. Instead, they explained that it would be a PC and console title, with a stronger emphasis on PC gaming being mentioned. 

Throughout a more in-depth look in a November 15, 2022 update, it’s evident the team is very much still piecing things together. While there’s now an early sandbox to run around in and test shooting mechanics, the core pillars are yet to be defined. The crew is unsure if they’ll venture more towards the Battle Royale genre or the strict arena shooter style, perhaps even finding a way to merge the best of both worlds. Though exactly how Project X will function remains unclear to this day.

Similarly, in a July 6, 2023 update, devs reaffirmed that no particular idea has come into focus just yet, and they’re instead experimenting with various “innovations.”

One such method of testing these ideas in a more efficient manner is through the new Unreal Engine Fortnite (UEFN) toolset. The first of these bite-sized projects is described as a 3v3 bank heist and will be playable directly in Fortnite. Using learnings from this test is seemingly key to helping shape ProjectX.

Currently, the 100 Thieves game development workforce is split across “two teams,” Chief Product Officer Pete Hawley confirmed. One team focuses purely on UEFN projects while the other remains on the broader ProjectX.

It’s also worth mentioning that Project X is simply a code name for the up-and-coming title. We are yet to find out the actual name of the game.

Project X development team

Similarly, Nadeshot and John Robinson haven’t given too many details away about the development team. They discussed in the video updates that they’re in the process of hiring more engineers and the like to get working on the game but they have already hired and announced who will be overseeing the project.

On the June 26 update, Pete Hawley was revealed to be working on Project X and will be taking on the role of Chief Product Officer. Hawley has an extensive background in game development and has been in the business for 25 years.

Having someone with such experience leading Project X is a huge win for 100 Thieves and is a giant confidence booster for the success of the title.

For those who may not recognize the name, Hawley got his big start in his career working at GT Interactive, the publishing company behind the likes of Wolfenstien and Doom.

From there, he went on to work at places like Sony, EA, and many more. Of particular interest, Hawley worked on the much-beloved title Fable and even has Executive Produced games such as Burnout Paradise.

What’s more, the team at 100 Thieves has made it clear that they plan on developing this game in complete partnership with their pros and creators, taking their feedback and unique knowledge and expertise on the gaming space into consideration when crafting their title. We’ve already seen a mix of their streaming stars and pro players getting in on initial playtests to provide crucial feedback.

For content creators or game devs wanting to get involved in this project, you can send your resume/reel/etc to the following email address: gamedev@100thieves.com.

Project X game engine details

Of course, one of the most important things when creating a game is figuring out what engine it will run on. 100 Thieves confirmed that they will be developing Project X in the new Unreal Engine 5. When discussing the decision, Pete Hawley had this to say about why it was the obvious decision:

“It’s just become best in class for just about everything. The more it’s been in development over the last 25 years, the more awesome it’s become.”

Games such as the new Witcher title as well as the new Tomb Raider game have been confirmed to be in development in the Unreal Engine 5.

Of course, the accessibility of Unreal Engine 5 is making it a popular choice for smaller and indie developers who are then able to create high-fidelity games in a way that would have been unachievable previously.

Does Project X have a release date?

Sadly, fans may have to wait a few years before they get their hands on this title. While no release date has been announced, the team at 100 Thieves has made it clear that they will be keeping their community up to date with progress and that things are beginning to really ramp up in terms of the development process.

Robinson explained that the process will involve more back and forth than the usual development cycle:

“What’s actually gonna happen is, we’re gonna hire some engineers, we’re gonna build a playable sandbox, we’re gonna trial lots of different things and we’re gonna scale from there.”

Hawley then went on to add that, “It’s not like we’re gonna disappear down a rabbit hole for two years and then pop up and hope it works.”

With more details and updates promised to be on the horizon, here’s hoping 100 Thieves are able to kick things into the next gear and reveal what exactly Project X is all about. We’ll be sure to keep you posted here as any further details emerge.