Today, Zynga Inc, a global leader in interactive entertainment has announced that they have acquired Echtra Games, a cross-platform game studio comprised of a development team whose core members have worked on genre-defining action-role playing games such as Diablo, Diablo II, and the Torchlight franchise. Zynga says that Echtra Games will strengthen their cross-platform play future by adding talented developers with extensive cross-platform play expertise as well as proprietary cross-platform development tools and technologies that have been built on top of the Unreal Engine. The Echtra Games team is developing a new, yet-to-be-announced RPG for cross-platform play in partnership with Zynga’s NaturalMotion studio.
Zynga Inc.’s catalog of games includes CSR Racing, Empires & Puzzles, Merge Dragons!, Merge Magic!, Toon Blast, Toy Blast, Words With Friends, and Zynga Poker. Their games have been played by more than one billion people, available in more than 150 countries and are playable across social platforms and mobile devices worldwide.
“Max and his team at Echtra Games are responsible for some of the most legendary game properties ever created, and they are experts in the action RPG genre and cross-platform development. I’m excited to welcome the Echtra Games team into the Zynga family,” Frank Gibeau, Chief Executive Officer of Zynga said. “This acquisition will be instrumental in growing our iconic licenses and brands from mobile to PCs and consoles while helping to further expand Zynga’s total addressable market.”
Echtra Games was founded in 2016 and is led by an experienced group of industry veterans led by Max Schaefer. He and his leadership team co-founded companies such as Blizzard North, Flagship Studios, and Runic Games. The team has worked with companies such as Blizzard, Disney, Electronic Arts, Runic Games, Kabam, and Undead Labs. They have published and run live services on mobile, PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.
“Echtra Games is delighted to be joining the Zynga family,” Max Scfaefer, Chief Executive Officer of Ectra Games said. “We share Zynga’s vision that cross-platform play is an essential part of the future of RPGs and interactive entertainment and are eager to apply our vast experience and talents to this effort.”