Irvine video game maker Blizzard Entertainment Corp. said Monday it completed buying Swingin’ Ape Studios Inc., an Aliso Viejo-based game company Blizzard hired nearly a year ago to help develop a highly anticipated game.
Financial terms of the buy weren’t disclosed. Under the agreement, Blizzard plans to retain Swingin’ Ape’s team of more than 40 developers.
“The acquisition of Swingin’ Ape Studios takes us one step closer to realizing our goal of becoming a top-tier console developer,” said Mike Morhaime, president and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment.
Blizzard makes games for computers and consoles that link to TV sets, including Sony Corp.’s PlayStation 2 and Microsoft Corp.’s Xbox.
Swingin’ Ape is set to be part of Blizzard’s console team. Steve Ranck, president and cofounder of Swingin’ Ape Studios, is slated to become vice president of console development at Blizzard, reporting to Morhaime.
Nearly a year ago, Blizzard said it was postponing the release of its “StarCraft: Ghost,” after Blizzard switched developers from Novato-based Nihilistic Software to Swingin’ Ape Studios.
Blizzard didn’t offer reasons for switching studios. But Morhaime said at the time that he was excited about working with Swingin’ Ape, which was started by former developers at Chicago-based Midway Games Inc.
Swingin’ Ape plans to keep its Aliso Viejo office within a few miles of Blizzard’s Irvine headquarters.
