A while ago, as Sega announced some significant restructuring, it announced that it would be moving away from the console market- which it now ultimately sees as unprofitable to its bottom line- and towards a digital focus on PC and mobiles. Now, it seems it has made its first serious step towards that end, as Sega announced today that it had purchased Demiurge Studios.
You might not know who Demiurge are, even though you should- they have worked on a series of high profile projects, and with a variety of big name partners in the industry, including Harmonix, 2K Games, and Gearbox. Their credits include the PC port of Mass Effect, co-development on the original Bioshock, and the cancelled Wii U port of Aliens: Colonial Marines.
“We’re constantly evaluating the independent mobile game space for studios that fit our vision of fun, high-quality gameplay experiences,” said Haruki Satomi, CEO of SEGA Networks. “Demiurge underscores our commitment to investing in the West.”
Demiurge itself seems to be pretty damn excited. “Through some miraculous happenstance of fate, we’ve founded a partner that likes us just the way we are–warts and all,” the developer wrote. The studio will, for now, continue working on Marvel Puzzle Quest, and it will continue maintaining its corporate identity and culture.
Of course, for anyone who is worried about how Sega will handle the new studio, at this point, I would say one does not have to worry- just look at how well Sega have handled The Creative Assembly, Relic, or Atlus for proof.
Stay tuned for more coverage.