Avalanche Studios, the developer behind Square Enix’s Just Cause series which is also currently working on the recently unveiled Rage 2 alongside id Software, has been acquired by Danish entertainment company Nordisk Film in what is being hailed as a “historic deal.”
Last year, Nordisk Film acquired a minority stake in Avalanche, and now the venerable Danish company has announced a new deal in which it will be purchasing Avalanche’s remaining stock shares for EUR 89 million (roughly $103 million U.S.), thus gaining full ownership of the Just Cause developer. To date, this is Nordisk’s biggest acquisition, which is saying something considering the company is over 100 years old (it was originally founded by Danish filmmaker Ole Olsen in 1906).
Fans who are worried that the acquisition might create problems for the development schedule of Rage 2 need to be concerned, as Avalanche’s chief executive officer Pim Holfve confirmed in a press statement that the studio will continue to function as an independent entity under Nordisk Film’s guidance:
“We have had a fantastic year with Nordisk Film as part of Avalanche Studios. We’ve grown and matured at a pace which was previously not possible. Even though we’ll continue to operate as an independent studio, Nordisk Film will – with a century of experience from growing creative businesses – provide us with a more solid foundation. I could not be happier to have them onboard.”
Rage 2, which is being jointly developed by Avalanche and Doom developer id Software, will allow players to once again partake in Mad Max-style hijinks as they explore a massive post-apocalyptic wasteland and do battle with both human and mutant enemies. While the original Rage utilized id Software’s idTech game engine, Rage 2 will instead rely on Avalanche’s own Apex engine, the same engine that powers the Just Cause series.