Midwinter Entertainment, developer of the upcoming multiplayer shooter Scavengers, incorporates ImprobableOS into the game, a technology integral to its gameplay experience. They have had a close working relationship since Scavengers' original announcement, and now Improbable announced its acquisition of Midwinter Entertainment.
Today, both companies announced their partnership, with Midwinter becoming part of Improbable's new internal games studio. This is Improbable's first acquisition of a video game developer. According to a press release, "Midwinter will retain creative independence while benefiting from closer technical and organisational integration with SpatialOS, which enables faster, more flexible and innovative game development."
Improbable is a company that created a technology called SpatialOS, which, according to the company's website, is a "cloud platform that provides hosting, online services, tools and a multiserver networking stack for developing and operating your multiplayer game, using any engine." Meanwhile, Midwinter Entertainment is a studio run by industry veterans and newcomers alike. Josh Holmes, formerly 343 Industries' Creative Director and Studio Head, is the CEO and co-founder of Midwinter. In 2018, Midwinter announced their first title, Scavengers.
Scavengers is a game utilizing Improbable's SpatialOS, which has been integral since the beginning of its development. Scavengers is an online, multiplayer shooter set to release some time in 2020. In Scavengers, players fight in a group of three against other teams in order to collect resources and make it to a drop-ship in time, all before the other teams. The catch is that you can fight other players, while tackling the harsh elements of Scavengers' ravaged world, including AI enemies and the bitter cold.
Per the press release, this hints that rapid growth is afoot with Improbable, so we can probably expect more acquisitions at some point in the future.
Quick Take
Both Improbable and Scavengers are something to keep an eye on. I was extremely enthused about Scavengers after playing it at E3, and even gave it my Best of E3 2019 Award. You can read more about my experience with the game here. Otherwise, I'm excited to see how Improbable expands. It could become a very big game studio, considering the impressive technology they own and the funding behind it.
What are your thoughts on Improbable's acquisition of Midwinter? Let us know in the comments below!
