:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65942393/Diesel_productv2_journey_to_the_savage_planet_home_ao_Sceenshot3_1928x1048_6b3748d64f9dc45df6be44cab4a077de09fbf3be.0.jpg)
Google has acquired Typhoon Studios, the developer behind upcoming space exploration game Journey to the Savage Planet, as part of the company’s efforts to bolster its internal game development plan. Typhoon Studios will join Stadia Games and Entertainment, according to a statement posted by that studio’s head, Jade Raymond.
Typhoon Studios was founded in 2017. The studio, based in Montreal, was co-founded by former Ubisoft creative director Alex Hutchinson and former Electronic Arts executive producer Reid Schneider. The studio announced Journey to the Savage Planet the following year.
Stadia Games and Entertainment was formally announced in March, when Google unveiled the Stadia platform. Raymond was named vice president of the division, which is tasked with developing original games using Stadia technology. Raymond said at the time that the internal studio will “reimagine the new generation of games” and “will also be working with external developers to make all of the bleeding-edge Google technology you’ve seen today available to partner studios big and small.”
Raymond says that Sébastien Puel, longtime Assassin’s Creed executive producer, will oversee the first Stadia Games and Entertainment studio in Montreal, which Typhoon is joining.
“Typhoon Studios will continue to work on the launch of Journey to the Savage Planet for multiple platforms on January 28, 2020,” Raymond said. “Meanwhile, our priority will be on integrating the team from Typhoon Studios into Stadia Games and Entertainment. We’re thrilled to welcome this incredibly talented team to the Google family!”
Google’s lineup of original, Stadia-exclusive games is nearly nonexistent, and the number of games that take advantage of the platform’s unique technology — outside of its streaming features — are similarly thin. Only Ubisoft’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint stands out among the current list of available games to take advantage of Stadia-exclusive features with support for Stream Connect in Breakpoint’s PvE mode. That feature lets players share their screen in real-time with up to three co-op teammates. “Seeing other players’ point of view eases the tactical communication between teammates, allowing players to collaborate like never before,” Ubisoft says of the feature.
