‘Splosion Man developer Twisted Pixel was already quite cozy with Microsoft, developing several Xbox 360 and PC-exclusive titles for Microsoft’s platforms, and now it looks like that’s what they’ll remain doing.
Microsoft announced today that the company has bought out the developer. Founded in 2006 by Michael Wilford, Frank Wilson and Josh Bear, Twisted Pixel started out as an independent developer that worked as a contractor for Midway. In 2008, they shifted their focus to the digital space, creating their first intellectual property, 2009’s The Maw .
“Twisted Pixel has an incredible track record of delivering innovative, critically acclaimed, and most importantly, fun, games,” said Phil Spencer, corporate vice president of Microsoft Studios.
“Microsoft Studios is home to cutting-edge entertainment experiences, and the incredible creativity of the Twisted Pixel team will help drive further innovation around Kinect and Xbox Live.”
Before you get the pitchforks out, Twisted Pixel fans, Microsoft Studios general manager Matt Booty assured fans of the developer that Microsoft will be taking a more hands-off approach with the developer, allowing them to do their own thing in that signature way that they do it.
“Microsoft’s a very big company, and you’ve got Twisted Pixel, a relatively smaller developer. We’re very invested that they get to stay who they are, and they get to retain the magic they’ve got as a smaller indie developer,” Booty said. “We’d like to leave the golden goose alone, so to speak.”
