Last year saw Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout shoot to popularity as one of the standout titles of the year with its unique position as a 3D platformer. The Battle Royale-inspired game quickly grew into a widely-played title with masses of viral videos, and the game is still updated to this day.
Meanwhile, previous years saw Fortnite lead the gaming industry as the global phenomenon family-friendly Battle Royale. Epic Games has grown into one of the biggest developers in the gaming industry as they moved from mainly being known for Unreal Engine to a household name as the creator of Fortnite .
As the popularity of Fortnite began to shrink last year, Epic Games started growing their PC digital game store as a Steam competitor to expand in other areas beyond their free-to-play title.
Now, it seems the developer is gearing up to expand their arsenal in other ways as they announce the acquisition of a major competitor developer...
EPIC GAMES ADDS TONIC GAMES TO ITS RANKS
Jason Schreier revealed on his Twitter that Epic Games are buying Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout developer Mediatonic:
BREAKING: Epic Games is buying Fall Guys developer Mediatonic, @olgakharif and I have learned. Story hitting shortly
The official Fall Guys Twitter account later confirmed the news with a tweet of their own.
HUGE NEWS!@Mediatonic are pleased to announce that we've joined the @EpicGames family! What does this mean? I'm glad you asked! FAQ:https://t.co/QpiEHemUca pic.twitter.com/ZcGaoooljz
Epic Games executives Dave Bailey, Paul Croft, and Tim Sweeney released the following statements about the acquisition:
We are thrilled to announce that Tonic Games Group is joining the Epic Games family. Tonic Games is the development company behind the hit sensation, Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout.
For Fall Guys fans, your gameplay isn’t changing and Epic will continue to invest in making the game a great experience for players across platforms. Your favorite colorful beans will still stumble through the chaos on PC, PlayStation, and soon Nintendo Switch and Xbox. Check out this blog post for answers to all your Fall Guys questions.
“At Tonic Games Group we often say that ‘everyone deserves a game that feels like it was made for them.’ With Epic, we feel like we have found a home that was made for us. They share our mission to build and support games that have a positive impact, empower others and stand the test of time and we couldn’t be more excited to be joining forces with their team.” - Dave Bailey, Tonic Games Group Co-Founder and CEO.
“Beyond the shared vision among our teams, we see tremendous potential in combining forces with Epic. Whether it’s about making our own games the best they can be or empowering other game developers to take their content from a kernel of an idea to commercial success, we know that together we will be able to reach greater heights.” - Paul Croft, Tonic Games Group, Co-Founder and Chief Games Officer.
"It’s no secret that Epic is invested in building the metaverse and Tonic Games shares this goal. As Epic works to build this virtual future, we need great creative talent who know how to build powerful games, content and experiences.” — Tim Sweeney, Epic Games Founder and CEO.
The post was followed by a Q&A on Mediatonic's site offering some specific details of the acquisition. The most notable inclusion to come from the message came as the studio was asked of a potential free-to-play move for Fall Guys as the developer responded that there was “ Nothing to announce right now!”
Mediatonic went on to confirm their gameplay itself will be unaffected by the acquisition while the title will remain purchasable and updated across all existing platforms.
A SHIFT IN THE BALANCE OF THE INDUSTRY
Epic Games' decision to acquire the developer of such a major title clearly shows the promise they see in Fall Guys and the developer as a whole. The industry giant promised the acquisition won't affect the game in any way as the platformer expands out to release on new platforms. However, all around, it seems like little change is planned in Mediatonic's games.
PC players will likely see the title release on the Epic Games Store soon, however, the developer promised Steam owners will continue to receive updates, and the game will remain purchasable.
The cryptic message of “Nothing to announce right now” given when Mediatonic addressed the potential of a free-to-play release may imply the switch in the model could be in the cards for the future.
Epic Games has been known recently for its huge collaborations with major brands including Marvel and DC joining Fortnite, which may open the doors to themed cosmetics coming to Fall Guys .
Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout is available now on PC and PlayStation with releases planned for Xbox and Nintendo Switch.
XBOX Writer