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Rebellion Acquires Empire Studio Razorworks
by David Jenkins [PC, Console/PC, Mobile Console]
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July 21, 2008
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Officials from British developer Rebellion have announced that the company has acquired Empire Interactive’s internal development studio Razorworks.
Empire Interactive parent company Silverstar Holdings recently announced that the studio would be sold or dispositioned as part of “organizational changes” at the firm. However, no potential buyers were named at the time.
Razorworks’ previous titles include Xbox Live Arcade releases Double Dragon and Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe, as well as the Taito Legends retro compilations and the Ford Racing series.
The Oxford based Rebellion are best known for titles such as Sniper Elite and as owners of the long-running UK comic book 2000 A.D. – from which the company has derived titles such as Judge Dredd: Dredd Vs. Death and Rogue Trooper.
The company has also acquired a number of smaller British studios recently, including the remnants of Tomb Raider originator Core Design (now Rebellion Derby), Mercury Meltdown developer Awesome Developments (now Rebellion Banbury) and Empire Interactive’s own Strangelite (now Rebellion Liverpool).
CEO and creative director Jason Kingsley, said: “We’ve been keeping our eye on Razorworks since we bought Strangelite from Empire Interactive in 2006. We heard some very good things about the set-up, the team and their approach, which is very similar to our own. So, when we had the opportunity to buy the studio, we seized it with both hands.”
“The Razorworks purchase is in line with our ambitious expansion plans,” added chief technology officer Chris Kingsley. “The Razorworks team will be joining us in the Oxford studio and will bring a raft of experience to our current and new projects. Razorworks will also be the focal point in expanding Rebellion knowledge base and portfolio.”
Jason Kingsley concludes: “At a time when the UK industry faces many challenges, keeping and retaining a team with a proven track record is essential if UK developers are to compete on the world stage. We’re very happy to welcome Razorworks to Rebellion and we look forward to working together on some very exciting projects.”
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