Foundation 9 merges Shiny, Collective

Calling itself "the largest independent games developer in North America and Europe," Foundation 9 has prided itself on the array of studios at its command since it was formed in March 2005. Despite that, the company's roster of studios is shrinking, as it today announced that its recent acquisition Shiny Entertainment would be merged with Foundation 9 cofounding developer The Collective.

Foundation 9 says the merged studio will be better equipped to make "large-scale games based on big licensed properties." The two merged Newport Beach, California-based studios have already moved to Foundation 9's corporate headquarters in nearby Irvine, California.

The new studio will also be given an as-yet undetermined new name, and will be headed up by Shiny studio manager Michael Persson. No staffers will be laid off in connection with the merger. At the moment, Shiny is finishing up development of The Golden Compass for Sega, while The Collective is working on Silent Hill 5 for Konami, and the horror action adventure Harker.