Summary
- Capcom acquires computer animation company Swordcanes Studio, known for its work on Street Fighter 6 and Monster Hunter Rise, strengthening their partnership.
- The acquisition is seen as a minor one compared to recent big-ticket purchases in the gaming industry, such as Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
- With the success of Street Fighter 6, Capcom aims to further enhance its 3D animation capabilities with the expertise of Swordcanes Studio.
Capcom has revealed the acquisition of computer animation company Swordcanes Studio, with the smaller studio having previously worked on multiple times for the developer. Studio acquisitions have become big news in gaming throughout recent years with several high-profile studios being acquired and absorbed into larger conglomerates. Among the most notable of these purchases is Microsoft's nearly $70 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, with Sony later biting back by buying Destiny and former Halo developer Bungie. Now, Capcom is throwing itself into the mix, picking up a minor studio it has frequently partnered with.
While many fans may not recognize Swordcanes Studio's name immediately, the computer graphics studio has provided instrumental work for several big-ticket games for Capcom. Swordcanes Studio would provide animation work for Capcom on two of the developer's biggest titles of recent years in Street Fighter 6 and Monster Hunter Rise. The animation company has also worked with other studios on production elements, helping to create games like Hi-Fi Rush and New Pokemon Snap. Now, Swordcanes Studio will strengthen its partnership with Capcom further by becoming a subsidiary of the iconic developer.
An official announcement from Capcom has revealed the developer's purchase of Swordcanes Studio, officially making the animation studio a subsidiary of Capcom. The announcement cited Capcom's long-running partnership with Swordcanes on several of its major games, feeling that the Street Fighter 6 support studio's strength "lies in 3D computer graphics production." According to its official statement, Capcom paid a total of 8 million yen to acquire Swordcanes Studio, the equivalent of just over $55,000 USD.
While Capcom's purchase of Swordcanes Studio comes as a relatively minor acquisition meant to boost the company's own productions, other recent purchases have been grander in scope. Alongside the previously mentioned Activision purchase, Microsoft would acquire The Elder Scrolls and Fallout developer Bethesda in 2021. The major pickup would have an immediate impact on an upcoming game from the developer, with the highly-anticipated Starfield confirmed to be exclusive to Xbox on consoles.
Capcom's acquisition of Swordcanes Studio follows a strong release for the two studios' most recent collaboration in Street Fighter 6. Street Fighter 6 would break records on Steam for concurrent player count on a fighting game and reported surpassing the 2 million units sold milestone within just a month. Since its launch, Street Fighter 6 has already begun to debut DLC characters, most recently adding Street Fighter 5 veteran Rashid to the game earlier this week. Capcom's newfound acquisition of Swordcanes Studio will look to help the developer bolster its 3D animations even more in future projects.
Source: Capcom