Third Kind Games is set to bolster Virtuos'
AAA co-development capabilities, having contributed to titles such
as Sea of Thieves and Hearthstone
SINGAPORE, Aug. 20,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Virtuos, a leading video game
development company, today announced the acquisition of Third Kind
Games, one of the largest independent game developers in the UK.
This marks the start of Virtuos' operations in the UK, a global
gaming hub with a long-established infrastructure of educational
programs, communities, media and associations. Third Kind Games'
location in Leamington Spa also strategically places Virtuos at the
heart of the local games industry, where major titles such as
Fable, Far Cry 5, Formula 1, and Forza
Horizon originated.
Third Kind Games was founded in 2016 by a team of nine former
Activision veterans, namely: Darren
Bowen (Chief Operating Officer), Graham Watson (Chief Technology Officer),
Rav Tharanee (Chief Strategy
Officer), Tim Dunn (Chief
Product Officer), Dan Hughes
(Lead Programmer), John
Roxburgh (Art Director), Mike
Nimmo (Principal Programmer), Nathan Coppard (Design Director), and
Sylwester Zaluga (Technical
Director).
Following the acquisition by Virtuos, the nine co-founders will
continue to lead Third Kind Games. The studio team of over 70 has
contributed AAA co-development expertise to titles including
Fable, Forza Horizon 4, Hearthstone,
Predecessor, and Sea of Thieves. The team aims to
double its headcount within two years in response to growing client
demand for more flexibility in game development models.
Rav Tharanee, Chief Strategy
Officer of Third Kind Games - a Virtuos Studio, said, "We are
delighted to join forces with Virtuos, one of the largest and most
globally recognised co-development partners of video games. This
marks an exciting new chapter for Third Kind Games, enabling us to
continue our growth and take on new and exciting AAA projects
alongside Virtuos, while continuing to nurture the innovative,
creative vision that has always been at the core of our identity.
As Virtuos' first operation in the UK, we are proud to play a
pivotal role in expanding their global footprint, and we look
forward to pushing the boundaries of what's possible in gaming
together."
Christophe Gandon, Managing
Director of Western Region at Virtuos, said, "The
co-founders of Third Kind Games exemplify the importance of a
shared vision and purpose. They succeeded in one of the world's
densest game development hubs, building a portfolio of homegrown
and global AAA IPs over eight years. We are excited to accelerate
the expansion of their co-development capabilities, which are in
high demand alongside gamers' growing demand for content, and to
continue growing in key markets to be closer to our clients."
The acquisition adds to Virtuos' continual growth in global
footprint and service offerings, furthering its ambition of
becoming the top external game developer worldwide. In the past
year, Virtuos expanded into Dalat with its art production
studio Glass Egg, launched a studio in Tokyo as well as engineering-focused
Virtuos Labs in Warsaw and
Prague. Most recently, it added
real-time VFX to its lines of services with the acquisition of
Beyond-FX in Los Angeles.
Aream & Co. served as the exclusive buy-side financial
advisor to Virtuos in its acquisition of Third Kind Games. Third
Kind Games was advised by Level Up, Hansel Henson, and Burgess
Hodgson.
About Virtuos
Founded in 2004, Virtuos is one of the largest independent video
game development companies. We are headquartered in Singapore with over 3,800 employees across 23
offices in Asia, Europe, and North
America. Specializing in full-cycle game development and art
production, we have delivered high-quality content for more than
1,500 console, PC, and mobile games. Our clients include 23 of the
top 25 gaming companies worldwide. Visit www.virtuosgames.com to
find out how we can make games better, together.
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SOURCE Virtuos