Take-Two subdivision, aptly named Private Division has today announced a big new signing, one that coincides with the fifth anniversary of the development fund’s formation. The publishing label has signed on noted horror game developer Bloober Team to its books, not in any kind of acquisition, as has become an industry trend in recent years, but rather in a purely supportive fashion. Of course, Bloober Team is long known for its horror and psychological thriller games like Layers Of Fear, The Medium, and Blair Witch, but is also currently working with Konami on a remake of Silent Hill 2.
Speaking in a press release about the signing and their fifth anniversary, Michael Worosz, Chief Strategy Officer, Take-Two Interactive, and Head of Private Division, said,
Whether we’re partnering with established developers like Bloober Team, or smaller independent studios embarking on new projects, we strive to work with teams who are among the absolute best at their craft and support them in their bold and creative ambitions. It’s exciting to grow our portfolio into a new genre by adding one of Europe’s most successful independent teams to our talented roster of development partners.
Piotr Babieno, Chief Executive Officer of Bloober Team, also shared some sentiments about the signing, and what it might unlock for the developer, saying,
Our next project is an exciting new survival-horror game, which will help us become a leader in the horror industry at large, I am grateful for this cooperation with Private Division. Their expertise is extensive, and their people are also very approachable. We don’t perceive them in a typical ‘publisher-developer’ relationship; they’re more like a friend who shows us support or keeps us in line when we need it most.
As well as the signing of Bloober Team, Private Division also used the opportunity to announce that it was establishing the Private Division Development Fund, a platform to assist smaller-scale developers to self-publish their own games. Blake Rochkind, Head of Business Development at Private Division explains,
Since we announced Private Division five years ago, we’ve seen a number of promising game ideas from smaller teams that didn’t quite fit with our full-fledged publishing model. We knew we could not simply have a one-size-fits-all approach in today’s world. We never like to say ‘no’ to an incredible game concept due to the size of the project, and the Private Division Development Fund enables us to identify and support some of the best creative ideas our industry has to offer.
Clearly, Bloober Team is just the beginning of a larger initiative that will lead to some projects bearing fruit that may have otherwise been left stranded.
