author: Bart Swiatek
Sega Bought the Devs of Two Point Hospital
Sega has purchased Two Point Studios, the developer of the successful economic strategy Two Point Hospital. The British company has several industry veterans who in the past have worked for Lionhead Studios and Bullfrog Productions, among others.
PCGamer reports that Sega has acquired the UK-based developer Two Point Studios, the creators of the successful Two Point Hospital. The title, published last year, is a spiritual heir to the economic strategy of the 1990s by the now non-existent Bullfrog Productions, Theme Hospital.
"We’re delighted to welcome Two Point Studios officially in to the Sega family. As a relatively new, British-based developer with a global hit already under their belts, we knew we had to move quickly on this deal because they are an extremely attractive investment proposition with a great deal of talent," Sega Europe president and chief operating officer Gary Dale said.
There are currently 17 people working at Two Point Studios, located in Farnham (southwest of London). The company was founded by former employees of Lionhead Studios - Mark Webley, Gary Carr and Ben Hymers. Interestingly, all three of them have also worked in the aforementioned Bullfrog Productions in the past, so the choice of the new developer's debut project was not accidental.
"It’s a landmark step for Two Point Studios and we’re thrilled to be joining the Sega family. We’re looking forward to executing the next phase of our plans as we continue to evolve Two Point County," Webley said. "It’s a hugely exciting time to be a part of Two Point and we are here today thanks to the hard work, passion and dedication of our small, but amazingly talented team here in Farnham and the incredible fans that have supported us throughout and guided our continued development of Two Point Hospital."
Two Point Hospital was warmly received by critics and sold well, so acquisition of the studio responsible for it can be considered a reasonable investment. It is also worth noting that the purchase of Two Point Studios is part of SEGA's consistently implemented strategy of strengthening the position on the PC gaming market. Sega has been interested in teams creating various strategic games for a long time - Japanese include such studios as Creative Assembly (Total War series), Relic Entertainment (Dawn of War, Company of Heroes), Amplitude Studios (Endless Space / Legend series) or Sports Interactive (Football Manager series).
