Publisher Zynga follows its ambitions of developing games for PC and consoles. To bring its existing franchises outside the mobile sector, the company has just bought Echtra Games, creators of Torchlight III.
Zynga hasn’t disclosed the terms of the deal. The publisher was interested in buying Echtra Games, even though the studio only released one game.
The key factor is Echtra Games’ experienced leadership. The studio was founded by Max Schaefer, who worked at Blizzard on the first two parts of the Diablo series and is known for creating Hellgate: London and all three Torchlight games.
Max and his team at Echtra Games are responsible for some of the most legendary game properties ever created, and they are experts in the action RPG genre and cross-platform development.
Zynga CEO
Echtra Games will help Zynga bring its mobile franchises to PC and consoles. The studio will also work on a new unannounced RPG alongside Zynga’s internal studio NaturalMotion.
Zynga has been active in the M&A market for a while, acquiring studios like Rollic, Peak Games, and Small Giant. The publisher announced its plans to enter new markets during the latest call with investors, with the first title expected to release in 2021.