Eve: Valkyrie studio snapped up by Sumo Digital

Sumo Digital, the U.K. developer currently working on Crackdown 3 and Dead Island 2, has acquired CCP Games’ Newcastle studio, which had previously worked on Eve Online spinoff Eve: Valkyrie.

CCP Newcastle — 34 team members in total, according to an official announcement — will join Sumo Digital’s existing studios in Sheffield and Nottingham, U.K, and Pune, India. Sumo Digital Newcastle will be led by Owen O’Brien, the former CCP Newcastle studio head and executive producer of Eve: Valkyrie.

Sumo Digital didn’t announce what the Newcastle studio would be working on, only saying that the acquisition “extends Sumo’s capacity and breadth of experience.” Sumo Digital’s recent work includes development on Forza Motorsport 7, Hitman, Snake Pass and LittleBigPlanet 3.

CCP Games announced in October 2017 that it was closing and consolidating studios as part of a reduced investment in virtual reality. Eve: Valkyrie originally launched as a VR-exclusive space combat experience, though CCP later removed the game’s VR requirement.