CCP Newcastle, the studio behind multiplayer VR space shooter Eve: Valkyrie, has been acquired by Sumo Digital, developer of Crackdown 3 and Dead Island 2. The acquisition includes the studio's assets along with a significant portion of its staff, though the figure has not been disclosed.
This classifies as Sumo Digital's fourth studio, joining the Sheffield and Nottingham branches and an overseas one located in Pune, India. In total, 34 staff will make the transition from CCP to Sumo, including former executive producer Owen O'Brien, who will be retained as the new studio director. They will not relocate, and the studio will remain in Newcastle.
As CCP closes its VR studios, developers insist that "VR is not dead"
Whilst the sale of the Newcastle branch was caused by CCP's move away from VR, it is unclear at this time if Sumo will start pursuing that course. Sumo Digital's MD Paul Porter said: "As we continue to expand this was a great opportunity to bring an experienced, talented and tight-knit team on board."
It's always good to see people not losing their jobs. Best of luck to the team in their new endeavour.
