Monumental Games Snags Swordfish Studios

Another studio displaced by the Activision Blizzard merger is on its way to a home. Nottingham, UK-based Monumental Games bought Swordfish Studios Manchester, one of two main branches of 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand developer Swordfish Studios. The 26 Swordfish developers will bring Monumental's total development staff past 100. Swordfish Studios was part of a group of former Vivendi-owned developers which newly-merged Activision Blizzard announced it would seek to shed. Swordfish's upcoming 50 Cent title, whose publishing rights were acquired by THQ, was apparently in development at Swordfish Birmingham, a division not picked up by Monumental. The ownership status of the Birmingham branch is unclear. Studio head Mike Delves will remain in his leadership role at Monumental Manchester. Said Delves of the acquisition, "Monumental have clearly been the ones to watch for a while now, and we're glad to be playing a crucial part in a new phase of growth." Much of Monumental's focus is on MMO-related middleware, including its Monumental Technology Suite; it is also currently developing the MMO Football Superstars for Cybersports Limited. Monumental CEO Rik Alexander commented, "Acquiring the Swordfish business in Manchester gives us the capacity to invest ahead of the curve and to maintain our growth profile throughout next year." The company also recently established a studio based in India.