Irish video games service Keywords Studios has acquired UK-based multiplayer games developer The Multiplayer Group (MPG) from UK metaverse outfit Improbable for £76.5 million ($96.8 million).
MPG is currently led by Andy Norman, Rocco Loscalzo, Vaughan O’Brien and Roger Cheung, who will be continuing in their leadership roles post-acquisition while participating in Keywords’ broader growth ambitions.
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Formerly The Multiplayer Guys, MPG has been involved in the development of triple-A games for Activision Blizzard, Epic Games, 2K, Bethesda and others since it was founded 2018. It was acquired by Improbable in 2019.
The MPG team has expanded to 360 people across 30 countries, and will now be joining Keywords Studios, which has conducted a host of M&A activity over the years.
“This is another important step in building out our platform and expanding our offering to encompass specialised multiplayer game development at scale, which is increasingly in demand for live services,” said Keywords Studios CEO Bertrand Bodson.
“We believe that MPG complements our existing high-quality UK and global Create studios and are excited to bring them into the Group. We look forward to working with Andy and the wider talented MPG team over the coming years to continue to drive growth in the business.”
The Multiplayer Group CEO Andy Norman added: “With Keywords, we believe we can continue to lead and grow multiplayer innovation, bringing the MPG ethos to more customers and games. We look forward to working closely with Keywords and driving growth both in MPG and across the enlarged Keywords group.”
A comment was also made by Herman Narula of Improbable. As CEO of MPG’s now-former owner, he said: “We are delighted to see MPG embark on its next chapter with Keywords, who we’ve always seen as a like-minded business partner. Nurturing and fostering ventures is at the heart of our philosophy and allows us to realise lasting value, and we are confident that MPG will continue to grow within the Keywords’ environment.”
Double-digit revenue growth is expected from Keywords next year, now with over 70 facilities to its name across Europe, the Americas, Australia and beyond.
