Humankind developer Amplitude Studios splits from Sega to become independent
Amplitude Studios, the studio behind Endless Dungeon and Humankind, has been bought out from Sega by its management to become an independent developer.
The details:
The split, first mentioned by Amplitude in its latest financial report, was confirmed by Sega in a new statement, explaining that the studio’s leadership had purchased the developer for an undisclosed sum. “SEGA Europe has today announced the sale of Amplitude Studios following a management buyout from senior leaders and employees at the Parisian studio,” Sega wrote. “The move will see Amplitude go back to its roots as an independent organization and concludes the structural reforms that have been taking place in SEGA’s European business.”
With the split, Amplitude will continue working on its in-development projects, with the two companies now aiming to complete the "smooth transition of services and operations, ensuring minimum disruption for Amplitude employees and continuity of service for players of Amplitude games."
The sale also concludes Sega's "structural reforms" across its European operations. Layoffs affected 240 employees at UK subsidiaries Creative Assembly, Hardlight, and Sega Europe. Creative Assembly's FPS title, Hyenas, was also canceled, despite being Sega's "biggest budget game" ever. Around the time of the layoffs, Sega also sold Company of Heroes developer Relic Entertainment in a similar management buyout.
The publisher is currently focusing on rebooting its older classic franchises, such as Crazy Taxi, Jet Set Radio, and Streets of Rage. While Sega hasn't revealed much about the titles officially, it has confirmed that Crazy Taxi will be a multiplayer open-world game, and a leak of what appears to be a Jet Set Radio remake in Unreal Engine 5 surfaced earlier this year.
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