Acquiring best-in-class studios in the Western region enhances Virtuos’ creative game development, establishing it as a glocalized development powerhouse

Virtuos, a leading video game development company, today announced a significant expansion into Europe and North America through the acquisitions of Abstraction in the Netherlands, Pipeworks Studios (Pipeworks) in the US, and a majority stake in Umanaïa Interactive (Umanaïa) in Canada.

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This move, occurring at a pivotal time of recovery in the games industry, strategically accelerates Virtuos' growth and efforts to champion a flexible development model for its clients. Virtuos' collaborative development approach streamlines the creation of great games by leveraging its global talent network, expansive service offerings, and proximity to publishing and development partners. This versatility reinforces Virtuos' position as a leader in delivering exceptional games efficiently and cost-effectively.

The expansion integrates the specializations of all three new studios into Virtuos, enabling it to provide clients with comprehensive game production offerings from art to engineering, full game development, and live services as a cohesive unit. Building upon its existing operations in Europe and North America, Virtuos has also increased its headcount in the West from 900 to over 1,200 AAA-caliber development experts across 16 studios, including Beyond-FX, Black Shamrock, CounterPunch, Third Kind Games, and Volmi.

Pipeworks: 25 Years of Development Excellence and Innovation

Pipeworks joins Virtuos as its lead game development studio in the Americas, building upon its 25-year history of delivering some of the most beloved games in the modern era, from AAA blockbusters to innovative originals. From its West Coast headquarters in Eugene, Oregon, the nearly 200 professionals at Pipeworks have advanced best practices in collaborative development for console, PC, and mobile games, pioneering innovations in live operations, cross-play, and streaming games. Since 1999, Pipeworks has helped develop over 125 games, from its beginnings with Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee and ensuing sequels through its work on Terraria, Madden NFL, EA Sports College Football, and Call of Duty franchises. Pipeworks has multiple AAA titles in development with key partners, including Xbox Game Studios, PlayStation Studios, and Warner Bros. Games.

Known for its multidisciplinary expertise, Pipeworks' ability to oversee large-scale development and live operations reinforces Virtuos' standing as a global leader in external game development, enhancing its capacity to deliver end-to-end solutions from concept to production through post-launch.

Lindsay Gupton, CEO of Pipeworks, said, “With Virtuos, Pipeworks enters an exciting new chapter of evolution and growth—another ‘level-up' moment for our studio at an important time for the industry. Together, we’re leading a new age of collaborative game development, fostering healthier, more sustainable outcomes for our partner studios and better experiences for our players. As a cohesive force, we are poised to lead this emerging era of external development in North America and beyond, tackling the industry’s biggest challenges and building the future of games.”

Abstraction: Co-Development Expertise Beyond Boundaries

Founded in 2007, Abstraction is a preeminent creative co-development studio with a track record of delivering over 200 projects, including Baldur’s Gate 3, Dune: Awakening, Halo: The Master Chief Collection, and Mass Effect: Legendary Edition. Its multidisciplinary team of over 90 skilled industry veterans excels in collaborating to develop unique solutions to the most complex technical challenges, upholding the studio’s founding mission of developing new technology and game prototypes. Their engineering expertise, in particular, will accelerate the growth of Virtuos Labs, a network of Virtuos studios that are focused on providing clients with advanced engineering solutions in commercial and proprietary engines.

Ralph Egas, Founder and CEO of Abstraction, said, “From our very first conversation, it was clear that our values aligned seamlessly. It is rare and commendable that Virtuos empowers its studios to excel in their own unique ways, showing great respect for our distinct values, vision, and legacy. This partnership between Virtuos and Abstraction unlocks extraordinary potential. Virtuos’ expertise in areas we don’t cover in-house equips us to aim higher and achieve more, while continuing to excel in what we do best for our partners, to elevate their IP as if it were our own. The Virtuos slogan, 'We Make Games Better, Together,' embodies a collaborative spirit I’ve long championed in the industry among peers. With Virtuos, that vision became a reality.”

Umanaïa: Redefining Gaming Possibilities Through Techno-Creativity

In 2021, Umanaïa was founded in Montreal by industry veterans who shipped acclaimed franchises like Assassin's Creed and For Honor together. At the heart of Umanaïa’s mission is a commitment to innovation, driven by a combination of technological breakthroughs and human creativity to redefine gaming possibilities. Leveraging the team’s deep collective expertise in Games-as-a-Service (GaaS) and successful post-launch strategies, Umanaïa is focused on revitalizing beloved IPs and crafting new experiences that resonate deeply with gamers.

With a team of over 40 senior developers, Umanaïa will drive innovation within Virtuos Originals, an initiative that encourages new IP creation for pitching to potential co-development and publishing partners. The team is working on a title that is currently in pre-production.

Yannis Mallat, President and Co-Founder of Umanaïa, said, “Umanaïa joining forces with Virtuos marks a perfect partnership at a pivotal moment in the industry. We’re excited to embark on this next chapter, confident that Virtuos is uniquely positioned to make a meaningful impact in an evolving gaming landscape. As passionate advocates for delivering unparalleled experiences to gamers, we are thrilled to combine our creativity, expertise, and technological innovation to new heights, together.”

A Bold Leap to Make Games Better, Together

Following the acquisition by Virtuos, all three studios will continue to operate under their respective management teams. These strategic acquisitions fuel Virtuos’ ambition of becoming the top external game developer globally, bolstering its ability to offer comprehensive solutions from game concept to release. In the past year alone, Virtuos has expanded into the UK through Third Kind Games and acquired real-time VFX capabilities with Beyond-FX. Its glocalized distributed development model enables clients worldwide to access specialized capabilities across all time zones while receiving local project oversight.

Gilles Langourieux, CEO of Virtuos, said, “With the integration of Abstraction, Pipeworks, and Umanaïa, alongside our existing studios, Virtuos has combined local presence with the adaptability of a global network. We've significantly augmented our creative development capabilities, assembling teams that collaborate effectively from game development hubs around the world. Our clients can now access a broader, higher-quality range of services with greater flexibility. We are deeply thankful for the trust our new studio teams have placed in us and look forward to pioneering a more sustainable game development model together.”

Note to editors: The acquisitions are subject to closing conditions, including regulatory approval.

About Virtuos

Founded in 2004, Virtuos is one of the largest independent video game development companies. We are headquartered in Singapore with over 4,200 employees across 26 offices in Asia, Europe, and North America. Specializing in full-cycle game development and art production, we have delivered high-quality content for more than 1,500 console, PC, and mobile games. Our clients include 23 of the top 25 gaming companies worldwide. Visit www.virtuosgames.com to find out how we can make games better, together.

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