Virtuos expands into the UK with acquisition of Third Kind Games

Third Kind Games is set to bolster Virtuos' AAA co-development capabilities, having contributed to titles such as Sea of Thieves and Hearthstone

SINGAPORE, Aug. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Virtuos, a leading video game development company, today announced the acquisition of Third Kind Games, one of the largest independent game developers in the UK. This marks the start of Virtuos' operations in the UK, a global gaming hub with a long-established infrastructure of educational programs, communities, media and associations. Third Kind Games' location in Leamington Spa also strategically places Virtuos at the heart of the local games industry, where major titles such as Fable, Far Cry 5, Formula 1, and Forza Horizon originated.

Third Kind Games was founded in 2016 by a team of nine former Activision veterans, namely: Darren Bowen (Chief Operating Officer), Graham Watson (Chief Technology Officer), Rav Tharanee (Chief Strategy Officer), Tim Dunn (Chief Product Officer), Dan Hughes (Lead Programmer), John Roxburgh (Art Director), Mike Nimmo (Principal Programmer), Nathan Coppard (Design Director), and Sylwester Zaluga (Technical Director).

Following the acquisition by Virtuos, the nine co-founders will continue to lead Third Kind Games. The studio team of over 70 has contributed AAA co-development expertise to titles including Fable, Forza Horizon 4, Hearthstone, Predecessor, and Sea of Thieves. The team aims to double its headcount within two years in response to growing client demand for more flexibility in game development models.

Rav Tharanee, Chief Strategy Officer of Third Kind Games - a Virtuos Studio, said, "We are delighted to join forces with Virtuos, one of the largest and most globally recognised co-development partners of video games. This marks an exciting new chapter for Third Kind Games, enabling us to continue our growth and take on new and exciting AAA projects alongside Virtuos, while continuing to nurture the innovative, creative vision that has always been at the core of our identity. As Virtuos' first operation in the UK, we are proud to play a pivotal role in expanding their global footprint, and we look forward to pushing the boundaries of what's possible in gaming together."

Christophe Gandon, Managing Director of Western Region at Virtuos, said, "The co-founders of Third Kind Games exemplify the importance of a shared vision and purpose. They succeeded in one of the world's densest game development hubs, building a portfolio of homegrown and global AAA IPs over eight years. We are excited to accelerate the expansion of their co-development capabilities, which are in high demand alongside gamers' growing demand for content, and to continue growing in key markets to be closer to our clients."

The acquisition adds to Virtuos' continual growth in global footprint and service offerings, furthering its ambition of becoming the top external game developer worldwide. In the past year, Virtuos expanded into Dalat with its art production studio Glass Egg, launched a studio in Tokyo as well as engineering-focused Virtuos Labs in Warsaw and Prague. Most recently, it added real-time VFX to its lines of services with the acquisition of Beyond-FX in Los Angeles.

Aream & Co. served as the exclusive buy-side financial advisor to Virtuos in its acquisition of Third Kind Games. Third Kind Games was advised by Level Up, Hansel Henson, and Burgess Hodgson.

About Virtuos

Founded in 2004, Virtuos is one of the largest independent video game development companies. We are headquartered in Singapore with over 3,800 employees across 23 offices in Asia, Europe, and North America. Specializing in full-cycle game development and art production, we have delivered high-quality content for more than 1,500 console, PC, and mobile games. Our clients include 23 of the top 25 gaming companies worldwide. Visit www.virtuosgames.com to find out how we can make games better, together.