Tonic Games Group, the parent company of Autumn guys developer Mediatonic, has been acquired by Fortnite and Unreal Engine developer Epic Games.
Both parties shared blog posts announcing the acquisition moments after the deal was leaked by Bloomberg via a tweetIn the Epic Games post, the company notes that the game’s multi-platform focus will lead nowhere, as “Epic will continue to invest in making the game a great experience for players on a variety of platforms.”
Epic Games is no stranger to acquisitions, although it typically focuses its mergers and acquisitions on technology-focused companies, which is likely to bolster the offering of its Unreal Engine. When it takes over game studios, they are usually the teams behind big multiplayer successes, such as Autumn guys itself and the 2019 acquisition of Rocket League developer Psyonix.
“At Tonic Games Group, we often say that ‘everyone deserves a game that feels like it was made for them,'” said Tonic Games Group co-founder and CEO Dave Bailey. “With Epic, we feel we have found a home made for us. They share our mission to build and support games that have a positive impact, empower others and stand the test of time, and we couldn’t be happier to join forces with their team. ”
In its own blog post, the Mediatonic team notes that the move will help improve the studio Autumn guys, expand the game’s reach and help better support the large community. Mediatonic hints cross-play support may be one of the areas where Epic Games can help expand it, among other features of Fortnite and Rocket League that could come Autumn guys including account systems, cross play and squad vs squad modes.
“We are proud of Mediatonic’s creative culture and this is something that Epic also values very much,” concludes the Mediatonic team. “We’re focused on making games that empower our players, create joy and bring people together to have fun, and we couldn’t be more excited about the opportunities ahead.”