Epic Games, the creators of the incredibly popular title Fortnite, have acquired Tonic Games Group, the developers behind the smash-hit Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout.
Popularised during the pandemic, Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout was an almost overnight hit. It is a vividly bright and colourful title that offers up a lot of laughs throughout its various game modes. Launching as a free PS+ title, Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout quickly amassed a player base that’s worth gawking at. It currently stands at an 81 on Metacritic and has 305,332 reviews on steam, 83% of which are positive. It makes sense then for the behemoth publisher and developer, Epic Games to come in and sweep Tonic Games Group off of their feet for what is undoubtedly a considerable amount of money!
Who Are Tonic Games Group?
Tonic Games Group was established by Mediatonic in June 2020. It is a development and publishing studio that is made up of several games studios. These include Mediatonic, The Irregular Corporation and Fortitude Games. Mediatonic may stand out to some, as they are the indie developers behind the smash hit Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout. While not a significant publishing company, Tonic Games Group has drastically risen in popularity since Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout launched back in 2020. Since then, they’ve become an attractive purchase for prospective buyers, including, it would seem, Epic Games.
What Is Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout?
The Game Crater actually has a handy article all about Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout, which you can check out here. However, if you want the lay of the land, then here’s a neat little break down for you.
- Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout launched in August of 2020
- It’s a massively multiplayer online game
- It features wacky physics which make its hectic gameplay all the more fun
- It’s a unique twist on the Battle Royale genre, with 60 people competing in various mini-games
- At its peak, Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout amassed an all time player count of 172,026.
Why Did Epic Games Acquire Tonic Games Group?
The acquisition of Tonic Games Group comes as no surprise, especially after a slew of other significant developer acquisitions over the past year. While no details have been established, including how much the acquisition will set back Epic Games, which are valued at $17.3 billion at the time of writing, Epic see the purchase as a way of expanding their “metaverse”. In essence, it’s like Disney’s acquisition of the Marvel franchise, in its attempt at owning every popular franchise in the film industry. Epic Games’ founder, Tim Sweeney said in a statement:
“It’s no secret that Epic is invested in building the metaverse, and Tonic Games shares this goal […] As Epic works to build this virtual future, we need great creative talent who know how to build powerful games, content and experiences”
Tim Sweeney ~ Epic Games
We’ll see what this means for the future of Tonic Games Group and their subsidiaries, but with the might of Epic Games behind them, anything is possible.