Sony’s latest PlayStation Studio, Firesprite, has announced it has acquired Fabrik Games, the studio that helped develop The Persistence for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Steam, Oculus, and Viveport. The aim of the acquisition is that Fabrik helps Firesprite to “strengthen SIE’s catalog of exclusive games.”
Fabrik Games is the developer behind isometric stealth shooter Filthy Lucre and PSVR platformer The Lost Bear. They then teamed up with Firesprite to help them port their PSVR survival horror title The Persistence to other platforms. Fabrik was originally founded in 2014 by Graeme Ankers, the man who is now Firesprite’s Managing Director, as he wanted “to create, publish, and support new gaming experiences coming out of Manchester.” Their main role now will be to play “a key role” in helping Firesprite to strengthen the catalog of exclusive games at Sony Interactive Entertainment. Ankers said:
I’m delighted to announce that we will be bringing Fabrik Games and Firesprite together as part of our exciting next step with PlayStation Studios. They are a team of passionate and committed developers, led by industry veterans who have worked on many AAA franchises. We’re looking forward to bolstering our creative talent as we continue on our journey to offer truly unique experiences for PlayStation fans.
The acquisition brings the total number of employees at Firesprite to 265. Fabrik was working on a AAA title although details on that project are few and far between. Job posts from several months ago mention a sci-fi horror title, however this could also be a pretty good description of The Persistence. Meanwhile, rumors have been circulating that Firesprite is working on a Horizon PSVR title. The studio has several projects on the go right now, including a “blockbuster” action adventure title, a next generation PvP shooter, and a dark, story-driven next generation Narrative Adventure. They’re also collaborating with other developers on existing titles like Star Citizen: Theaters of War.
[Source: Firesprite]
