Rebellion expands with developer acquisition

UK developer Rebellion has officially confirmed its acquisition of Strangelight Studios, which completed late last year as embattled software publisher Empire Interactive struggled to maintain its market presence.

Responsible for PC conversions of Sega's Virtua Tennis and Crazy Taxi titles in addition to the more recent film-licensed Starship Troopers, the Strangelight team are currently working on development of two as yet undisclosed titles, which are likely to appear on both PC and next-gen consoles.

A former internal studio of troubled publisher Empire Interactive, Strangelight's sale formed part of a much wider restructuring plan for Empire, the company entering into lengthy take-over negotiations with an undisclosed potential suitor. At the end of May, Empire confirmed that it has so far failed to secure a deal, ending those negotiations and leaving the future of the publisher once again cloaked in uncertainty.

Empire's loss appears to be very much Rebellion's gain however, and the Strangelight acquisition marks the latest move in a broader expansion strategy for the firm, having recently secured the assets of Core Design from SCi/Eidos. The company is expected to make further announcements shortly regarding new titles currently in development, as well as providing more information on the company's strategy for continued and accelerated growth within the industry.