What strengths or expertise does Third Kind Games bring to the Virtuos portfolio? The Third Kind Games team is known for their co-development capabilities and live operations, backed by a portfolio of AAA titles over eight years of operation. They are also well positioned to grow and innovate, and this creative spirit aligns with Virtuos’ mission of continually making games better, together.
In 2022 Blizzard brought in Third Kind to help refresh some of Hearth- stone’s key systems, as well as give its client code some servicing.
Was this acquisition part of a broader strategy to enhance Virtuos’ presence in Europe? Yes. Our broader strategy is centred around ‘glocalising’: we are building a global network of studios that have deep roots into their local markets and are set up to collaborate very efficiently together.
We have Third Kind Games to thank for Forza Horizon 4’s solid performance on Xbox
How does this fit into your global expansion plans and what new opportunities do you anticipate this move will open up for the company? Leveraging Third Kind Games’ strong reputation in AAA co-development and partnerships in the UK, we look forward to working on a wider range of projects
with deeper involvement. At the same time, we commit to supporting and accelerating Third Kind Games’ growth as a full development studio.
How do you plan to integrate the UK studio into Virtuos’ existing operations? What are your priorities in ensuring a smooth transition and collaboration? We focus on three aspects: facilitating further growth, preserving what works, and integrating systems. A key differentiator of Virtuos is our track record of helping every studio we invested in over the last 20 years grow. Some of our investments like Black Shamrock have grown tenfold in size since they became part of Virtuos. As we welcome new studios such as Third Kind Games into Virtuos,
we take care to ensure the team feels supported, respected and integrated. Following that, it is important that all our teams work on the same platforms, use the same tools, and can interoperate and collaborate on projects regardless of their size and geographical location.
It’s mentioned that you plan to double the size of Third Kind Games, which is welcome news after a period of workforce consolidation. More widely across the organisation, do you expect to see headcounts increasing? We still expect headcounts to increase over time. Currently, we have
Third Kind has been helping Omeda Studios bring back the game formerly known as Paragon, which was launched as Predecessor this summer
“We are optimistic about the games industry and targeted acquisitions will continue to be a part of our growth strategy worldwide, including in Europe and the UK”
around 4,000 employees worldwide. We are mindful of current industry trends, but we remain optimistic as there are still many opportunities to seize in the games industry. As an external development partner, Virtuos presents an alternative to traditional fixed-cost production models. We can bring both cost efficiency and flexible,
creative solutions to our partners. Based on that business model, Virtuos has always been in the business of assembling the best talent to work together at scale with our partners. That is supported by our ongoing efforts to train and upskill our teams, ensuring they remain equipped to meet evolving industry needs. At the same time, we are on the lookout for the brightest, creative talent to join our team.
Are there more acquisitions or expansions on the horizon for Virtuos? How do you see the company’s growth evolving in the next few years, particularly in key markets like Europe and the UK specifically? We are optimistic about the games industry and targeted acquisitions will continue to be a part of our growth strategy worldwide, including in Europe and the UK. Expanding our capabilities and global footprint enables us to support our partners in addressing the rapid changes in player demands, trends, and any gaps in the market. Virtuos Originals, for example, was launched so we can offer co-publishing opportunities to our partners. It enables us to provide more creative value to them while allowing our talent to work their creative muscles on original IPs.
What little we know about the next Fable game includes the fact that Third Kind will be in the credits
October/November 2024 MCV/DEVELOP | 39
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52
