The Brits have always had a strong presence in virtual reality (VR) with one of the earliest pioneers being Fierce Kaiju, the Leeds0based team behind the Viral series. Today, fellow Leeds VR studio XR Games has announced the acquisition of Fierce Kaiju, its first-ever studio acquisition.
Fierce Kaiju was founded in 2014 by Dan Roberts and Paul Colls, both of whom were already videogame veterans thanks to working on titles including Grand Theft Auto, Red Dead Redemption and Call of Duty. They set up their studio with a focus on VR, originally creating Viral for Samsung Gear VR followed by Viral Quarantine and Viral EX for Gear VR and Steam.
Since then though, Fierce Kaiju hasn’t released any more of its own videogames, with most of its time spent as a full-service studio, helping game makers build projects from the ground up, or supporting other projects. XR Games, on the other hand, has created VR titles for some big IPs including Zombieland: Headshot Fever and The Angry Birds Movie 2: VR Under Pressure.
“From the first time I met Bobby and the team, I knew there was a shared vision,” says Dan Roberts, Fierce Kaiju co-founder. “At Fierce Kaiju we love experimenting with new and disruptive technology and turning it into something immediate, accessible, and fun, and It’s clear that Bobby and the team at XR Games share the same values. There’s a tangible sense of excitement and energy when you enter the XR Games studio after their huge success with Zombieland: Headshot Fever in 2021, and we knew we wanted to be a part of that.”
“For our first acquisition, we knew we wanted to bring in a team that shared the same vision as XR Games. The experience that Fierce Kaiju brings from working at places such as Rockstar Games and Activision Blizzard will be invaluable when it comes to supporting XR Games’ trajectory. As the studio grows in size and takes on multiple projects with larger budgets, this expansion will ensure we can scale safely and effectively. We’re fiercely proud of our roots, and while we’re still based in Leeds, our titles are sold around the world, so with Fierce Kaiju joining the family, we’re confident that our reach will grow even further as we continue developing exciting new gaming experiences for years to come,” XR Games Founder and CEO, Bobby Thandi adds.
The acquisition will see the Fierce Kaiju team join XR Games, with Dan Roberts joining XR Games as Art Director. The acquisition sum wasn’t disclosed.
Gmw3 will continue its coverage of XR Games, reporting back with its latest VR projects.
