Ubisoft have acquired FreeStyle Games, the developer behind Activision music titles DJ Hero and 2015’s Guitar Hero Live. Ubi announced the acquisition overnight in a post on their official blog, along with the developer’s new name, Ubisoft Leamington.
According to the blog post, the Ubisoft Leamington team will be working “in close collaboration with (Ubisoft) Reflections and Ubisoft’s other international studios to develop AAA games.”
FreeStyle was originally founded in 2002, employing over 100 staff members based out of Leamington Spa, London and Brighton in the UK. They were acquired by Activision in 2008 at the height of Guitar Hero fever and built several games for the publisher including DJ Hero and DJ Hero 2, Guitar Hero Live and a stand alone karaoke title called Sing Party on the Wii U.
The last we heard of FreeStyle prior to Ubisoft’s acquisition was last year when Activision announced that plans were underway to restructure the developer internally and that the publisher was “considering a range of future options for the studio” following weaker-than-predicted sales of Guitar Hero Live.
Ubisoft Reflections, also mentioned in the blog post and with whom Ubisoft Leamington will be collaborating, is best known for the Driver series as well as their work on Watch Dogs, Grow Home and The Division.
We wish everyone at Ubisoft Leamington all the best in their home.
For more on FreeStyle Games, check out our Guitar Hero Live review!
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