Epic Games has announced that it's acquired Aquiris (try saying that ten times fast), the developer behind retro-style racing franchise Horizon Chase. According to Epic, Aquiris will serve as the foundation for the newly-created Epic Games Brasil, which represents the gaming titan's first Brazilian venture.
On its official website, Epic says its acquisition of Aquiris builds on an initial investment the studio made in the Brazilian developer last year. Epic Games Brasil will be both the first Epic studio in Brazil and its first in Latin America as a whole, and the new studio will call the city of Porto Alegre its home.
Within the new Epic Games Brasil, Aquiris will "create groundbreaking content and social experiences within Fortnite", according to Epic. The studio's CEO, Mauricio Longoni, says that his team will also "continue to operate" franchises like Horizon Chase and Wonderbox, although it's unclear whether further games in those franchises will continue to be developed or whether Epic Brasil will be Fortnite-exclusive.
Longoni's comments do make it sound as though Aquiris' future endeavors will consist pretty much exclusively of Fortnite content. Though the studio will continue to support its existing live-service games, Longoni says he's excited to "contribute to the future of Fortnite", so I wouldn't hold your breath for a Horizon Chase sequel anytime soon. Still, we can hope, eh?
This is the latest in a string of recent acquisitions made by major gaming publishers and studios. Earlier this week, Sega announced that it's acquired Angry Birds developer Rovio to the tune of around $775 million, and, of course, these deals take place in the shadow of the colossal Microsoft-Activision Blizzard merger, which is still gradually making its way through the regulators of the world (albeit to a soundtrack of spirited protests by Sony). Stay tuned for more industry news as and when we get it.
