Keywords Studios adds another acquisition to its growing games business

12 Aug 2021

Image: © monticellllo/Stock.adobe.com

Dublin-based games developer Keywords Studios has added Romanian art creation studio AMC to its string of recent acquisitions.

Keywords Studios has acquired AMC, an art creation studio in Bucharest, Romania.

The acquisition is the latest in a series of deals done by the Dublin-based game developer. In April, Keywords acquired British developer Climax Studios and in March it acquired Australian developer Tantalus Media.

These deals follow a prolific 2020, during which Keywords acquired PR firm Indigo Pearl, Italian recording studio Jinglebell Communications and Hollywood marketing firm Gnet, to name a few.

With its acquisition of AMC in Bucharest, the company hopes to build its reputation in eastern Europe.

“We are excited by the expertise and experience that AMC will bring to our art service line and by the growth opportunities for the service line as well as for Keywords’ wider business in the region,” said Jon Hauck, joint interim CEO of Keywords Studios.

“The studio’s excellent track record and reputation for high-quality work for over 12 years is extremely impressive.”

AMC’s 63 staff, led by Cristina Neamtu, specialise primarily in characters, environment, buildings, vehicle and weapons assets in a variety of styles including realistic 3D, photo-realistic 3D, stylised 2D and illustration.

Founded in 2009, AMC has worked on well-known games including The Witcher III, Activision’s Call of Duty and Sony’s Spiderman.

Neamtu said she hopes the company will now gain access to new markets with potential for growth as part of the Keywords Studios group.

Keywords now has more than 65 facilities in 23 countries worldwide, and it provides a range of services including integrated art creation, testing and software engineering to some of the most prominent games companies, including Electronic Arts, Konami, Microsoft, Riot Games and Ubisoft.

The Irish company, which is currently searching for a new permanent CEO, said earlier this month that it expects profits to grow by 80pc this year. Its half-year financial results showed strong revenue growth, which it attributed to the “robust demand” for its services in a “buoyant video games market”.

Blathnaid O’Dea was a Careers reporter at Silicon Republic until 2024.

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