Activision absorbs Beenox

Activision today continued its push as a major publisher in the gaming business by acquiring Canadian developer Beenox. Using some of the $1.4 billion in net revenue from the fiscal year ending March 31, the publisher bought the Fantastic 4 developer after several years of working together.

Focusing solely on PC games, Beenox has previously worked on several games with Activision, including Shrek 2, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4, and the upcoming Fantastic 4 and Ultimate Spider-Man. The company, based in Quebec City, is well known for its PC-porting technology.

"Beenox's extensive porting background will be a key component of our console transition strategy by allowing us to focus our resources on next-generation technologies while continuing to develop games for current-generation systems," said Kathy Vrabeck, president of Activision Publishing. "Quebec's expanding innovative talent pool will provide Activision with future growth opportunities."

Beenox's 32-person team will remain in Quebec City as a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision. Several members of Beenox's team have already signed long-term contracts with the company.

The acquisition of Beenox is only the latest in a string of studios scooped up by Activision. Earlier this year, Toys for Bob (Madagascar) and Vicarious Visions (Xbox version of Doom 3) joined the list of developers now owned by Activision, which includes Infinity Ward (Call of Duty), Luxoflux (True Crime: Streets of LA), and Treyarch (Spider-Man).