Behaviour Interactive acquires Darkest Dungeon dev Red Hook Studios

gamesindustry.biz:

Dead by Daylight developer Behaviour Interactive has acquired Red Hook Studios for an undisclosed amount.

The latter is the Vancouver-based studio best known for the Darkest Dungeon series, which has sold nearly seven million copies.

All 29 team members have been retained, and Red Hook will operate as an independent studio within Behaviour Interactive.

"It's a privilege to welcome a developer of Red Hook’s calibre," said Behaviour CEO and co-founder Rémi Racine in a statement. "Earlier this year, we established an ambitious goal for our future as a publisher – to make Behaviour synonymous with horror, and surround Dead by Daylight with a library of similarly exceptional horror games. Our acquisition of Red Hook is another emphatic step towards this objective, with more to come."

Red Hook co-founder Chris Bourassa added: "We've found kindred spirits in the Behaviour team. Both studios are Canadian, independent, and devoted to fantastic horror games. Where we differ is scale, which opens the door to new possibilities. Behaviour’s support will help us pursue our vision for Red Hook's future, and focus fully on transforming Darkest Dungeon into an absolute juggernaut of the dark fantasy genre."

This is Behaviour's fourth acquisition in two years, following the purchases of SockMonkey Studios, Codeglue, and Fly Studio. The company also formed a new UK studio last year with former AntiMatter Games staff.

Last week, Behaviour Interactive announced it was cancelling Project T, which was set to be a spinoff of its popular multiplayer horror title Dead by Daylight.

The project's developer Midwinter Entertainment was shut down as a result, two years after it was acquired by Behaviour. Behaviour said in a statement this was based on a "diligent risk assessment" and "in no way reflects the talent of the team."