Epic Games acquires developer studio of hit game ‘Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout’

CARY – Epic Games continues to grow, this time by acquisition: it has acquired the UK group behing the popular “Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout.”

Tonic Games Group became part of Epic on Tuesday, the Cary-based company valued at more than $17 billion announced. Financial details weren’t disclosed. This is the third acquisition Epic has made since last September.

And the new deal isn’t a small one.

Tonic has some 300 employees.

The publisher of the globally popular Fortnite which is embroiled in antitrust suits against Apple and Google over app store fees also appears to now be the owner of another hit.

Fall Guys title was recently nominated for five British Academy of Film and Television Arts awards, including best British game, family and multiplayer game. It’s described as a “massively multiplayer party game with up to 60 players online in a free-for-all struggle.”

Released last summer for Microsoft Windows and PlayStation, Fall Guys is expected to be released soon on Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S.

“It’s no secret that Epic is invested in building the metaverse and Tonic Games shares this goal. As Epic works to build this virtual future, we need great creative talent who know how to build powerful games, content and experiences,” said Tim Sweeney, Epic Games’ founder and CEO.

The companies pointed out that Fall Guys “gameplay isn’t changing and Epic will continue to invest in making the game a great experience for players across platforms.”

Dave Bailey, Tonic Games Group co-founder and CE, said that in Epic “we feel like we have found a home that was made for us. They share our mission to build and support games that have a positive impact, empower others and stand the test of time and we couldn’t be more excited to be joining forces with their team.”