Epic Games Acquires Aquiris Game Studio

Epic Games is expanding. The creator of Fortnite and Unreal Engine has acquired yet another Studio. Earlier today, Epic announced the acquisition of Brazil-based Aquiris Game Studio in a press release. Aquiris, now Epic Games Brazil, will continue to develop its own franchises but also assist in the development of Epic’s flagship Fortnite. 

Today we are announcing that Brazil-based game studio, AQUIRIS, is joining Epic Games. This acquisition builds upon an investment that Epic made in AQUIRIS in early 2022. 

The AQUIRIS team will be the foundation of Epic Games Brasil, the first Epic studio in Latin America. Founded in 2007, AQUIRIS is best known for its award-winning titles including Wonderbox and the Horizon Chase franchise. Headquartered in the city of Porto Alegre, the AQUIRIS team of developers will join Epic Games to create groundbreaking content and social experiences within Fortnite.”

Aquiris is the developer of games such as Wonderbox, The Horizon Chase racing franchise, and Looney Tunes World of Mayhem. The art style of Aquiris’s games is stylized and cartoon-like, reminiscent of Epic’s art style in Fortnite. Currently, Aquiris makes mobile games, but now will assist the development of Fortnite, and it could be possible that Aquiris will make its own multiplatform titles down the line.

It also seems that Epic wants to expand further in the mobile gaming space, which is currently the largest market in gaming. Aquiris’s mobile offerings could help Epic Games penetrate the mobile gaming market. Epic recently had a falling out with Apple and Google, which led to Forntite being removed from the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store. 

Epic made a large investment in the studio last year, with the two forming a publishing agreement. It is just one of many recent Epic Games acquisitions. Last year the company acquired music distributor Bandcamp. The year before, Epic acquired Harmonix, developer of the Guitar Hero franchise. In total, Epic Games has acquired over 20 companies in its bid to become a major player in gaming.