In addition to Runic Games, Max Schaefer and his leadership teams co-founded Flagship Studios and Blizzard North, the latter which gave us the aforementioned Diablo, and collectively they have shared decades of experience working on games like Diablo II, the Torchlight franchise, and The Sims 4. While it is rather easy to be skeptical of any acquisition involving Zynga (which for this writer conjures up many a past Facebook controversy because of the Farmville connection as well as that one time Zynga briefly made outgoing Xbox boss Don Mattrick its CEO following the disastrous Xbox One launch), it cannot be said that Echtra lacks the pedigree. “We share Zynga’s vision that cross-platform play is an essential part of the future of RPGs and interactive entertainment and are eager to apply our vast experience and talents to this effort.” “Echtra Games is delighted to be joining the Zynga family,” said Schaefer. Likewise, Schaefer unsurprisingly had nothing but good things to say regarding the acquisition. “This acquisition will be instrumental in growing our iconic licenses and brands from mobile to PCs and consoles, while helping to further expand Zynga’s total addressable market.” I’m excited to welcome the Echtra Games team into the Zynga family,” Gibeau emphasized. “Max and his team at Echtra Games are responsible for some of the most legendary game properties ever created, and they are experts in the action RPG genre and cross-platform development. Announced in 2018 as Torchlight Frontiers, the game that Schaefer and his studio would ultimately produce would become Torchlight III, which launched in 2020 on all major platforms to fair reviews.įrank Gibeau, Zynga’s Chief Executive Officer, showered praise on its new studio addition as it made the announcement. According to the Businesswire, the primary purpose of the acquisition is to develop “a new, yet to be announced role-playing game (RPG) for cross-platform play, in partnership with Zynga’s NaturalMotion studio.”įounded in 2016 by Diablo co-creator and Runic Games co-founder Max Schaefer, Echtra Games was formed by Schaefer as a developer under Chinese-owned Perfect World Entertainment in order to obtain the rights to and continue the legacy of the Torchlight franchise, which then belonged to the now-defunct Runic Games (of which Perfect World was an investor). Pets Are Back - Fight your way to fame and glory with your loyal companion! Add skills and equip them with gear to make them stronger.The multi-billion dollar US-based Zynga Inc., best known for its social Facebook game Farmville, has just purchased Echtra Games, the developer of T orchlight III. You’ll also gather epic gear along your journey that you can customize to work with your hero’s unique make-up.īuild & Upgrade Your Fort - It’s time to rebuild – and that includes you! Enjoy your very own fort, where you can upgrade gear and renovate your fort to show off to your friends and the world. Travel the Frontier - Brave the vast wilderness of Novastraia and all of its dangers either alone or with a group of friends!Ĭollect Epic Gear - Whether it’s armor, weapons, or even new pets.there’s always more to find as you battle through dungeons and take on dangerous foes.īuild Your Hero - With four unique classes to choose from and five available Relic subclasses, there are many different ways to build your hero and maximize your damage. Gather your wits and brave the frontier to find fame, glory, and new adventures! In Torchlight III, Novastraia is again under threat of invasion and it’s up to you to defend against the Netherim and its allies. It’s been a century since the events of Torchlight II, and the Ember Empire is in decline.
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