Montreal based Behaviour Interactive is acquiring Seattle based developer Midwinter Entertainment. The Seattle located developer is currently under the umbrella of Improbable, a UK based metaverse technology company. Assuming everything goes as planned Midwinter’s team of 30 will officially join Behavior Interactive on June 2, 2022.
Behaviour Interactive is Canada’s largest independent developer, best known for Dead by Daylight. Midwinter Entertainment is the studio behind Scavengers, a battle royale style game which incorporates Player-versus-Environment elements into the usual mechanics.
Once the acquisition is complete Behaviour Interactive aims to get the Midwinter team using their skills on new, original IPs. Midwinter is on track to become a key asset for the Canadian developer.
“Behaviour was not just looking for any studio, but the right studio. Chemistry was essential and our similar values, cultures and our commitment to creating games that push boundaries and defy expectations make Midwinter a perfect fit,” said Behaviour Interactive boss Rémi Racine. “This is an important move during a milestone year for Behaviour, which will mark its 30th anniversary in September, and further evidence of the impressive growth that has seen our revenues more than double since 2019 and our team reach nearly 1,000 full-time employees.”
The acquisition seems like a good fit, and everyone involved seems to agree. Improbable is in the process of releasing all of its non-metaverse focused assets. The tech studio seems pleased Midwinter is joining a developer with similar goals and philosophies.
“As part of our announced focus on the metaverse Improbable announced the divestment of its non metaverse focused content teams at the start of the year. We are really excited to have found partners who we believe can provide a fantastic home for the Midwinter team,” said Improbable’s Herman Nerula. “We are very pleased to see Midwinter go with Behaviour, both for the common ambition they have, and for the cultural fit we have observed all along our discussions. The work done by the Midwinter team over the past three years has been phenomenal and we wish this team all the very best and will be looking forward to seeing their upcoming projects come to life.”
The acquisition of Midwinter is only a single part of Behaviour’s growth strategy. The developer recently partnered with Haveli Investments, and it has long since been partnered with NetEase. Both Haveli and NetEase will continue to support the growth of Behaviour into the global market.
Scavengers was an ambitious game with a lot of interesting weather effects, such as snowstorms, and non-player character AI factions, but the title didn’t take off in the crowded battle royale first-person shooter market.
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