About NC Gaming

What is NC Gaming?

NC Gaming is an independent game studio. Norberto Gonçalves da Cruz founded the studio in 2024. NC Gaming is based in Funchal, Madeira, Portugal.

The studio's debut project is Ezekiel: Noa and the Automaton Urbis. The game is planned as the first installment of a five-game saga. The steampunk-cyberpunk universe has been in creative development for over 30 years.

NC Gaming works with Yacooba Labs, Fourt.io, and the eGames Lab consortium. The network supported Ezekiel showcases at Gamescom and Tokyo Game Show. The official press kit lists PC via Steam as the lead platform, PlayStation and Xbox as planned platforms, and the release date as TBA.

Who founded NC Gaming?

Norberto Gonçalves da Cruz is NC Gaming's founder and creative director. His professional background includes music, opera, and theatre. He has developed the Ezekiel universe for over 30 years.

That background informs the project. The soundtrack blends orchestral and electronic elements. The narrative uses theatrical storytelling ideas. The moral choice system focuses on human nature and the consequences of decisions.

Norberto's LinkedIn profile is a personal, gaming-focused profile used for NC Gaming and Ezekiel. It is not a separate company page. The PocketGamer.biz interview also identifies Norberto Cruz while discussing the saga's development history.

What is Ezekiel's story?

Ezekiel: Noa and the Automaton Urbis is a rescue story. Noa crosses the militarized border between Humanópolis and Automaton Urbis to find his kidnapped daughter. The story examines identity, consciousness, and the relationship between humans and machines.

The planned saga spans more than 100 years of in-game history. Each game is planned as a self-contained story within a larger arc. The first story follows Noa through the Neutral Zone and into Automaton Urbis. The Great Fracture supplies the history. Noa's rescue supplies the personal stake. The moral AI system connects both to player choice.

Who supports NC Gaming?

NC Gaming's development network has three parts. Yacooba Labs provides technology and development support. Fourt.io is listed as a technology partner. eGames Lab is the consortium linked to Ezekiel showcases at Gamescom and Tokyo Game Show.

PocketGamer.biz published an interview with Yacooba's Norberto Cruz about the 30-year story and planned five-game saga. The partner list names relationship types. It does not imply ownership, distribution, or a release commitment.

Yacooba Labs - Technology and development support
Fourt.io - Technology partnership
eGames Lab - Game-development consortium; facilitated showcases at Gamescom and Tokyo Game Show
PocketGamer.biz - Featured in-depth interview on the game's 30-year development journey and five-game saga vision

Promoted by Yacooba Labs and eGames Lab PT. Funded by PRR (Plano de Recuperacao e Resiliencia), Republica Portuguesa, and the European Union (NextGenerationEU).

Where can I read more about Ezekiel?

The official Ezekiel site is the first-party source for the premise, characters, factions, FAQ, and media assets. The press kit is the first-party source for downloadable assets and current project facts.

The first three resources below are NC Gaming-authored explainers. They cover the RPG concept, named characters and factions, and common release questions. The PocketGamer.biz interview is independent reporting about the 30-year story and planned five-game saga.

That distinction lets readers identify studio statements and outside reporting. Each link opens the named source directly.

Which external sources support these references?

First-party pages are the official site and press kit. The labelled links below keep social profiles, independent coverage, and partner coverage distinct. Directory candidates remain outside public links, structured data, and machine-readable discovery until verified.

First-party Official Ezekiel website
First-party Press kit and media assets

Social / project page Facebook NC Gaming candidate Found project evidence; not an organization sameAs target.
Social / identity profile NC Gaming LinkedIn profile Identity reference used only for the founder Person schema.
Third-party / consortium coverage eGames Lab LinkedIn post/article about Ezekiel eGames Lab consortium coverage; not an NC Gaming identity profile.
Third-party / consortium coverage eGames Lab LinkedIn activity post eGames Lab activity post; not an NC Gaming identity profile.
Social / project post NC Gaming LinkedIn Ezekiel status post NC Gaming project update; not the approved founder identity profile.
Independent editorial coverage PocketGamer.biz Ezekiel interview PocketGamer.biz interview; not an owned identity profile.
Third-party / consortium coverage Games From Portugal eGames Lab coverage Games From Portugal coverage of eGames Lab; not an owned identity profile.
Partner coverage Marathon Variety Ezekiel case study Marathon Variety case study; no author or date asserted.