Mike McCain has made a return to Seattle-based developer Harebrained Schemes.

The studio veteran is heading development on a brand new project at the studio. McCain previously worked at Harebrained Schemes for almost nine years between 2011 and 2019, working on the likes of Shadow Run and Necropolis, as well as being game director on BattleTech.

After departing the studio, he worked in a variety of art roles, including as a background painter for Disney, art director for NoneMore Productions and a visual development artist both for Netflix and Sony. In that last position, he worked on the company's Spider-Verse series, while at NoneMore he worked on the Academy Award-winning The Boy, The Mole, The Fox, and the Horse.

“I’m thrilled to be back in the virtual office with this amazing team,” McCain said.

“There will be plenty of challenges, but the creative momentum we have around this new project right now is exhilarating. We're a small crew making something we really believe in and I can't wait to share it. ”

Harebrained Schemes founder and studio manager Mitch Gitelman added: “I'm taking a much-needed break and exploring what the next stage of my life looks like. This is a ridiculously talented team. I’m proud of them, I'm excited for them, and I look forward to playtesting their new game—I think it will really resonate with longtime HBS fans.”

Harebrained Schemes was spun out of Paradox Interactive in October 2023.