A Liverpool videogame studio is to be acquired by the media giant behind the PlayStation 5, Sony Interactive Entertainment.
SIE has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Firesprite for an undisclosed sum.
The North West company has had a partnership with SIE for more than eight years while its games include The Persistence Enhanced, Air Force Special Ops: Nightfall and The Payroom.
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Jim Ryan, president and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment, said: "We are delighted to welcome Firesprite into the PlayStation family.
"We have a rich history of working with the founders of Firesprite and are excited to grow the PlayStation presence in Liverpool.
"The portfolio of titles Firesprite has developed has continually demonstrated the team’s ability to transcend traditional gameplay experiences and brilliantly showcase the potential of our hardware."
Hermen Hulst, head of PlayStation Studios, added: "Creating quality, state-of-the-art games has always been at the forefront of Firesprite’s work and I’m confident they will push the bar even further as part of PlayStation Studios.
"Firesprite’s ability to weave best-in-class gameplay with new technology is exceptional and I think fans will be excited about their creative vision for the future."
Firesprite's managing director Graeme Ankers said: "At Firesprite, we’re always striving to bring something new to a game or genre and developing for new technologies is a driving force of our passion.
"Joining PlayStation Studios will allow us to amplify this passion, working more closely on cutting-edge hardware without any limitations and furthering our studio’s heritage of creativity and technical innovation to offer some truly unique experiences for PlayStation fans."
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Firesprite will join the global development operation of PlayStation Studios and will be the 14 th studio to join the PlayStation Studios family.
The day-to-day operations post-acquisition will continue to be run by Firesprite’s current management team.
