Report: Crackdown 2 developer Ruffian Games rebranded as Rockstar Dundee following acquisition
This team now appears to be working for a much larger parent company.
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What you need to know
Update, October 14 (11:13 ET): Rockstar Gamesconfirmedtoday that it has acquired and rebranded Ruffian Games as Rockstar Dundee.
According toTheGamer, Take-Two Interactive has acquired Ruffian Games, the developers of Crackdown 2. ACompanies House listingpoints to the appointment of Take-Two Interactive as having control in the company, as well as rebranding the studio from Ruffian Games to Rockstar Dundee.
Ruffian Games is located in Dundee, Scotland and is previously best-known for developing Crackdown 2. The studio also assisted on projects like Halo: The Master Chief Collection and Crackdown 3. Several developers who previously worked on the Grand Theft Auto franchise currently work at Ruffian, so the acquisition makes sense. Rockstar North is also located in Scotland, while Ruffian has been hiring for developers to work on a project with Rockstarsince 2019.
This acquisition brings the Rockstar Games division of Take-Two Interactive to 10 studios. Right now, we know Rockstar is working on a next-generation version of Grand Theft Auto V and Grand Theft Auto Online forXbox Series X,Xbox Series SandPS5, which is set to release in the second half of 2021. Grand Theft Auto V hassold over 135 million copiesas of August 2020.
Update, June 15 (11:13 pm ET) — Rockstar Games is growing
The acquisition has been confirmed and Ruffian Games has joined Rockstar Games and been renamed Rockstar Dundee. The 40-person team will be assisting the rest of Rockstar Games on future projects.
“We are thrilled to have Ruffian join the Rockstar Games family,” said Sam Houser, Founder of Rockstar Games. “The Ruffian team are a talented addition to Rockstar’s global studios, and we look forward to working together on future projects.”
Heists are waiting
Grand Theft Auto V is a massive game from Rockstar that allows players to live out their high-stakes criminal dreams. A huge campaign focuses on three very different men drawn together by circumstance, while GTA Online continues to grow with constant updates.
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Samuel Tolbert is a freelance writer covering gaming news, previews, reviews, interviews and different aspects of the gaming industry, specifically focusing on Xbox and PC gaming on Windows Central. You can find him on Twitter@SamuelTolbert.
