There we had been, being all surprised that Just Cause/Mad Max outfit Avalanche Studios had been handed the reins to Id sequel Rage 2, and now right here we’re, being all shocked that Avalanche at the moment are owned by a 111-year-old Danish film studio. Nordisk Film, the world’s oldest still-active movie manufacturing agency, have doled out some $103 million to take management of Avalanche’s three workplaces, however the declare is that the Swedish video games studio will retain inventive independence. In truth, the plan is to work on extra self-published titles, although they don’t plan on giving up work for rent simply but.
“”This was merely the correct supply, on the proper time, from the correct firm,” Avalanche boss Pim Holfve informed GamesIndustry.biz this morning. “Nordisk Film are also fully committed to our road map, and feel that Avalanche Studios are headed in the right direction, so they don’t want to mess with that. Being able to maintain our creative independence, while at the same time being acquired by stable, long-term owners is the best possible scenario.” Plus, y’know, an entire lotta wonga in his pocket.
Nordisk Film, established in 1906, making it the fourth-ever movie studio on the earth, and the oldest still-operational one, does an entire lot greater than films nowadays, together with TV, promoting, reward retailing and sport distribution within the Nordic territories. So selecting up an enormous video games studio makes lots of sense for them – in actual fact, they had been already a $10m minority shareholder in Avalanche previous to this acquisition. Note they received’t get rights to Just Cause, Mad Max or Rage 2, as all of belong to Square Enix and Bethesda, however they may decide up Avalanche’s personal theHunter deer/grammar-murder collection.
The ol’games-as-service chestnut reveals itself right here, with Holfve reckoning that theHunter’s lengthy tail of DLC, occasions and community-wrangling will probably be “a great blueprint for how we think about our self-published games.”
Of course, what all of us hope is that this doesn’t stand in the best way of a Just Cause four or Mad Max 2. GI.biz word the buy-out received’t have an effect on growth of Rage 2, and that nu-Avalanche will nonetheless be “open for both new publisher partnerships large and small.” It would, in spite of everything, be heresy for Square Enix to provide that grappling hook to anybody else.
