Crackdown 3 Dev Acquires Acclaimed Studio Behind Everybody's Gone To The Rapture

Award-winning game developer The Chinese Room has been acquired by the Sumo Group. Founded by Jessica Curry and Dan Pinchbeck, The Chinese Room is best known for making narrative-driven indie titles like Everybody's Gone to the Rapture and Dear Esther, but the team also created games like Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs.

The Chinese Room is the fifth studio to join the Sumo Group under the Sumo Digital umbrella. Sumo Digital is currently developing Crackdown 3 for Microsoft, having previously worked on other Xbox exclusives such as the Forza Horizon franchise and Xbox Fitness.

Curry wished to remain independent and is leaving the studio to pursue other work as a composer, but Pinchbeck is staying on as The Chinese Room's new creative director. Sumo Group CEO Carl Cavers said, "I am really pleased that Dan has chosen to join Sumo Group. We believe Dan's renowned creative abilities will add real value to Sumo Group. The Chinese Room has an outstanding reputation and its acquisition will enhance and extend Sumo Digital's capabilities."

Pinchbeck is also excited about the acquisition, saying, "I'm thrilled to be joining Sumo Digital, a network of studios I've a huge amount of respect for. Sumo will provide the support and experience I'm looking for to take The Chinese Room to the next level. Our aim is to build on the reputation I'm proud to have earned, to create a truly world-class studio delivering bold, imaginative new games. We're already working on some really fantastic new concepts, alongside discussions with partners about some of the games we already have in the pipeline. The future for the studio is incredibly exciting and being part of the Sumo family is absolutely central to that."