Redmond, Washington — Further stuffing up its collection of independent game developers, software monopolist Microsoft on Wednesday announced that it has scooped up a studio called indie game developer Twisted Pixel Games, an exclusive developer of games for the Xbox 360.
The Austin, Texas-based game studio, Twisted Pixel and Microsoft have made a lovely pair over the years, delivering some of the quirkiest games in recent years, like Comic Jumper, the ‘Splosion Man series and Kinect-based Gunstringer. Now, the two companies have taken their relationship to the next level, and have finally tied the knot as the Redmond corporation announced that the Twisted Pixel Games now becomes an internal Microsoft studio, alongside other big names like Rare, Turn 10, and Lionhead.
Surprisingly, the acquisition is unlikely to cause a big excitement within the industry, because Twixted Pixel had already been releasing games exclusively for the Xbox 360 through the Xbox Live Arcade.
However, that said, it may be shocking news for fans of the dev, which has built games like ‘Splosion Man and The Gunstringer around its scrappy DIY aesthetic. But Matt Booty, general manager of Microsoft Studios, informed Joystiq it is exactly that character that the company hopes to preserve after the sale.
“Microsoft is a very big company, and you have got Twisted Pixel, a relatively smaller developer. We are very invested that they get to stay who they are, and they get to retain the magic they have got as a smaller indie developer,” Booty said. “We would like to leave the golden goose alone, so to speak.”
The company’s sensational hit was a game called Splosion Man, in which players run around as a cartoony character created from fire, supposedly the victim of a rogue science experiment.
The objective of the game is to escape the scientific laboratory in which he was imprisoned. It gained instant appeal largely because of the button that allowed the character to explode on command.
More recently, the studio has been gaining widespread recognition for The Gunstringer, a captivating game set in the Wild West, where everyone moves around like a marionette.
“Twisted Pixel has an incredible track record of innovative, critically acclaimed, and most importantly, fun, games,” said Phil Spencer, corporate vice president of Microsoft Studios, in a statement. “Microsoft Studios is home to cutting-edge entertainment experiences, and the incredible creativity of the Twisted Pixel team will help drive further innovation around Kinect and Xbox LIVE.”
Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the five-year-old studio will remain in Austin, said Twisted Pixel co-founder and CEO Michael Wilford. He added that the acquisition will allow the company to make even better and richer games for Xbox fans.
“It is really exciting for us to strengthen our long-standing relationship with Microsoft Studios, who we consider to be the leader in digital distribution and creating new innovations in gaming like Xbox LIVE and Kinect,” said Wilford.
It is unclear why Microsoft needed to acquired Twisted Pixel, though it is apparent because the company was gaining a lot of attention and Microsoft wanted to seize the opportunity before it was too late.
“Twisted Pixel has an incredible track record of innovative, critically acclaimed, and most importantly, fun, games,” Spencer in a statement. “You are going to see us be able to make bigger games and richer games going forward.”
“I lived through the integration of FASA, through Bungie, the integration of Digital Anvil,” Spencer said. “I can go through the list of studios we have worked with. I can honestly say we have become better at working with partners and keeping them what they are,” Spencer said. “In the beginning, it was ‘everybody’s got to move to Redmond, kind of integrate completely into the Microsoft process,’ and that does not always work for every culture. I think you have to keep to the core of ‘What is this partnership about?’”
Analyst Michael Pachter said he believes Microsoft when it says its ready for a more hands-off approach.
“I think Twisted Pixel is the poster child for the new Microsoft Studios,” he stated in a statement to Joystiq. “Microsoft does not want to screw up a good thing, and I think they are serious when they say they want to allow Twisted Pixel to keep their identity. Phil Spencer seems completely realistic about the value added by this acquisition, knows that Twisted Pixel is a supremely talented group, and does not want to screw up a winning formula.”