Italian publisher 505 Games has snapped up Puzzle Quest studio D3 Go. 505 says the new acquisition will enable it to expand its free-to-play business, and the publisher intends to continue supporting existing Puzzle Quest releases after the acquisition as well.
Why has 505 Games purchased D3 Go?
Earlier this year, 505 Games published D3 Go's Puzzle Quest 3, the third mainline installment in the Puzzle Quest franchise. Now, the Italian publisher has taken its involvement with Puzzle Quest one step further and purchased its owner, D3 Go, for an undisclosed sum. The deal will give 505 full control over the Puzzle Quest series, which includes several successful games such as the Joe Fletcher-directed Marvel Puzzle Quest and the sci-fi-themed Puzzle Quest: Galactrix.
According to 505 Games' free-to-play chief Clive Robert, this acquisition is intended to help the company build on its library of free-to-play IP. This will be 505's second acquisition in the last two years after the publisher acquired Infinity Plus Two (thanks, GamesIndustry.biz) back in early 2021. According to Robert, the acquisition will "continue [505's] dedication to growing the F2P business unit". He says D3 Go has done a "brilliant job" with Puzzle Quest, and that the studio is a "natural fit" for 505 Games.
What's next for 505 Games after this acquisition?
According to 505, it will continue to support "inherited titles" from D3 Go, which presumably includes the Puzzle Quest games that are still going strong. 505 says that D3 Go's publishing team will join the US 505 office located in California, and that there will be "additional investments" into D3's portfolio in the near future. If you're a Puzzle Quest fan, it sounds like there's plenty of good stuff waiting for you on the horizon, so this acquisition should be good news for you.
As for 505 itself, things are looking up, it seems. Back in May, the company held its first-ever spring showcase, showing off three games from its upcoming publishing slate: first-person survive-'em-up Among the Trolls, melee action RPG Stray Blade, and the rather intriguing-looking tactical RPG Miasma Chronicles, which comes to us from the Mutant Year Zero people. There's also the Control multiplayer spinoff that 505 is working on alongside Remedy, as well as a full-blown sequel to the mind-bending 2019 action-adventure title. 505 Games has its fingers in a lot of pies, and now, it looks like that's starting to pay off. We'll bring you more on these games as soon as we get them.