Just a few weeks after agreeing to become part of entertainment giant Sony, Liverpool games developer Firesprite has announced a new acquisition. Tony McDonough reports

Liverpool video games developer Firesprite has acquired a Manchester business just weeks after becoming part of entertainment giant Sony.

In early September, it was announced Firesprite was being acquired by Sony Interactive Entertainment for a undisclosed sum. The two businesses have collaborated on a number of games over the past few years.

However, Firesprite continues to operate as a standalone business and has now bought Fabrik Games, a business that was actually founded by Firesprite’s managing director, Graeme Ankers, in 2014. It takes Firesprite’s total headcount to 265.

Most recently, Fabrik Games collaborated with Firesprite to bring survival horror title The Persistence to multiple platforms. Fabrik will be joining Firesprite, playing a key role in the studio’s efforts to strengthen Sony’s catalogue of exclusive games.

Mr Ankers said: “I’m delighted to announce that we will be bringing Fabrik Games and Firesprite together as part of our exciting next step with PlayStation Studios.

“They are a team of passionate and committed developers, led by industry veterans who have worked on many AAA franchises. We’re looking forward to bolstering our creative talent as we continue on our journey to offer truly unique experiences for PlayStation fans.”

Errol Ismail, studio head at Fabrik Games, added: “We have a history working and collaborating closely with Firesprite. There’s a huge amount of creative and cultural alignment already and the entire team is excited to be on board. We can’t wait to show everyone what we’re capable of.”

Sony, which itself already has a significant presence in Liverpool, says it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Firesprite. The firm was founded in 2012 by a number of games industry veterans.

In 2018, Firesprite secured a global licensing and distribution deal with Sony for its virtual reality game The Persistence. The deal saw Sony take exclusive ownership over the licence and global distribution of the title.

With a partnership spanning more than eight years and a games portfolio highlighting PlayStation’s technological innovations, Firesprite will play a “critical role” in strengthening SIE’s games catalog in genres outside of PlayStation Studios’ core offerings.