Why Iron Galaxy Is Happy To Remain Independent Amid the Games Industry Acquisition Craze
When Xbox purchased Activision Blizzard and Sony acquired Bungie to kick off 2022, it kicked off a frenzy of speculation among industry observers. Suddenly, it seemed as if no acquisition was off the table.
In such an environment, Iron Galaxy would seem to be an ideal target for a major platform holder. Aside from being a noted work-for-hire studio, Iron Galaxy has worked on popular franchises such as Uncharted and Killer Instinct, and CEO Adam Boyes has a direct connection to PlayStation.
For now, though, Iron Galaxy seems happy to be independent.
"[S]o many doors are open and I love that," Boyes tells IGN. "And because we're independent, we have the ability to continue that freedom journey and check it all out and see what leans into our values as a company."
Boyes, an energetic game developer who earned notice as Sony Interactive Entertainment's Vice President of Publisher and Developer Relations, likens the current acquisition craze to his childhood in British Columbia, where his father was a lumberjack. In effect, he says, platform holders like Microsoft and Sony are clear-cutting the competition, in the process creating the underbrush that can attract new studios.
Iron Galaxy, he says, is in a good position. "Before we were like, we have to take this or we have to take that," Boyes says. "We have some freedom to work on new stuff. So that part of it's cool."
Originally founded back in 2008, Iron Galaxy found early success sporting games like Bionic Commando and Bioshock 2 before releasing Divekick in 2013. Iron Galaxy expanded to Orlando in 2012, and is set to open its third studio in Nashville in an effort to "fish in other ponds" and attract fresh talent. Iron Galaxy co-founder Dave Lang says the studio was "mousey"
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