Best known to gamers as his Diablo 2 doppelganger Shenk the Overseer (pictured left), Shenk held the position of art director on Hellgate London, and worked as a lead artist on Diablo 2 and its expansion Lord of Destruction.

Though Shenk did not detail the studio's makeup or projects, Shacknews has learned that at least one former Flagship staffer has joined the company in a prominent role: Kevin Klemmick, former senior software engineer on Hellgate London, will serve as Gravity Bear's technical director.

Shenk joins the long list of former Flagship developers that have recently moved on to new ventures. Flagship co-founder Max Schaefer and others formed Runic Games in August, and ex-Flagshippers Dave Brebik and Jeff Lind joined Lord of the Rings Online developer Turbine in October. Cryptic Studios announced last month that former Flagship CEO Bill Roper was joining its ranks.