Epic Games has announced that it has acquired AQUIRIS, the Brazil-based game studio behind Wonderbox, Horizon Chase 2, and Looney Tunes World of Mayhem. According to a news post from Epic Games, the AQUIRIS name effectively no longer exists, in that the studio has “become” Epic Games Brasil, Epic Games’ first studio located in Latin America. Some of Epic Games’ other recent acquisitions include Bandcamp, the indie music platform, and Harmonix, the developer behind the popular Dance Central and Rock Band games.
“Joining Epic Games builds on our successes in creating memorable games including Wonderbox, Horizon Chase 2 and Looney Tunes World of Mayhem, which we will continue to operate. We are delighted to leverage our experience using Unreal Engine on game development to contribute to the future of Fortnite,” said Mauricio Longoni, CEO of AQUIRIS and now studio director of Epic Games Brasil. “AQUIRIS has been on the forefront of game development in Brazil and Latin America, and becoming part of Epic Games will spotlight our region’s developers for the entire industry.”
“We’ve seen firsthand the impressive talents of the AQUIRIS team in creating innovative games that draw global appeal and we are excited to welcome them to Epic Games,” said Alain Tascan, Executive Vice President of Game Development at Epic Games. “With the creation of Epic Games Brasil, we look forward to tapping into the immense talent the region has to offer and establishing our presence in Latin America.”
From an Epic Games post:
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.