Wargaming, the developer and publisher behind World of Tanks and a handful of other free-to-play games, has acquired Edge Case Games. The two studios will work together on a new MMO project from Wargaming. The entire staff of Edge Case Games will be joining Wargaming to help out with the project. The acquisition is the most recent in a string of studio takeovers we’ve seen this year.
The Edge Case Games acquisition (according to GamesIndustry.biz) seems to have been on the cards for a while. Wargaming’s product director, Sean Decker, said the two teams had been “looking for a way to partner for years” and the recent buyout certainly allows for that. All of Edge Case Games’ employees will be relocated to Wargaming’s new office in Guildford, U.K. The studio will begin to help with creating an unannounced MMO from Wargaming.
Edge Case Games are best known for their space-themed MMO, Fractured Space. The developer ceased working on it earlier this year but the developer said that it would remain live for the foreseeable future.
Details are sparse on the MMO it will now work on with Wargaming but there is evidence for what it could be. Given that Decker noted how Edge Case has experience with “vehicle-based MMOs” and the catalog of games Wargaming has released, a project similar to these games is a probable outcome. And Decker also stated that the project would be an “F2P MMO” again sticking to the style of game both studios are known for.
It’s unlikely that Wargaming will make any other big moves in the industry. Decker said that the company would focus on individual recruitment for the U.K. office and other offices worldwide after closing its Seattle office. It’s been a busy year for studio acquisitions though. During E3, Microsoft announced the acquisition of five studios. And Microsoft recently bought Obsidian as well.
