Independent UK developer and publisher Rebellion today announced the acquisition of Radiant Worlds, the UK development studio founded in 2013 by industry veterans Andrew Oliver, Philip Oliver and Richard Smithies, for an undisclosed sum.
Radiant Worlds comprises a wealth of games industry talent. Its 70 employees have decades of experience across hundreds of titles, adding their industry expertise and creative excellence to Rebellion’s award-winning development teams.
Radiant Worlds will become Rebellion Warwick, joining Rebellion Liverpool as a sister studio to the company’s headquarters in Oxford. Rebellion Warwick will immediately transition on to current projects – including the 1930s co-op adventure Strange Brigade revealed last year – and in the future will contribute to projects based on Rebellion’s beloved IP such as Sniper Elite, Evil Genius, Battlezone and more. Founders Philip and Andrew Oliver will remain at Rebellion Warwick.
The acquisition completes a landmark 12 months for Rebellion who recently celebrated their 25th birthday. In 2017 the company self-published Sniper Elite 4 to major commercial and critical success, announced its next major new IP in Strange Brigade, and released a remaster of the BAFTA-nominated classic Rogue Trooper. Its stewardship of cutting edge comic 2000 AD (also celebrating its 40th birthday) saw renewed focus, opening up the 2000 AD universe to external game developers and announcing Mega-City One – an ambitious TV series set in world of Judge Dredd.
Now employing over 300 staff, Rebellion firmly cements its reputation as one of the UK’s most exciting multi-media companies.
“To bring such great people to the company, just after our 25th birthday, is quite remarkable,” said Rebellion CEO and co-founder Jason Kingsley OBE. “It’s been a great year for us and we have a lot of plans to help make 2018, 2019 and beyond bigger and even greater years for Rebellion.”
Philip Oliver, one of the founders of Radiant Worlds, is thrilled by the deal: “We’ve known the Kingsleys for many years and have always had enormous respect for them and the company they’ve built. We know that our core values of creativity, passion, and ambition are mirrored by Rebellion, and we’re excited to be part of their amazing team.”
Richard Smithies, Radiant Worlds’ outgoing Chairman and Chief Operating Officer, is also delighted at the next chapter for the developer: “We’ve managed to build one of the financially strongest and most talented development studios in the UK. I wish everyone now working with Rebellion every success for the future.”
