As a new year begins, so to do new acquisitions of studios. Independent game developer Sumo Digital, part of the Sumo Group PLC, announced today that it has taken on CCP Games’ Newcastle studio.
Announced via a post on Sumo Digital’s blog page, 34 staff members have transferred to Sumo Digital, along with Studio Director, Owen O’Brien. As the fourth studio for the developer, the third in the UK alongside Sheffield and Nottingham, this addition further extends Sumo’s capacity and breadth of experience.
CCP Game’s Newcastle studio is best known for their work on the EVE Online VR spin-off: EVE Valkyrie; while Sumo has worked on several games including Crackdown 3, Snake Pass, Little Big Planet 3, and Sonic All Star Racing: Transformed.
Paul Porter, Managing Director of Sumo Digital was excited about the opportunity, saying, “As we continue to expand this was a great opportunity to bring an experienced, talented and tight-knit team on board.”
Hilmar Veigar Pétursson, CEO of CCP Games, was optimistic, saying, “Sumo Digital is a great home for the team in Newcastle.” Pétursson added, “As we say goodbye to our former colleagues we know that they will do great things there, and we can’t wait to see what they do next.”
Prior to the acquisition, CCP Games and Sumo had worked together on the EVE Online inspired FPS Project Nova. Whether Sumo will use the Newcastle team’s experience with VR for upcoming projects remains unknown.
