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Online plan after sale of video games developer

ben rooth
18/11/2008

GAMES developer Swordfish Studios has been sold in a deal which bosses say will enable it to `consolidate its online growth'.

The company, based at MediaCity, Salford Quays, employs 26 engineers, artists and designers and has been the driving force behind highly-successful games for the Xbox 360 such as `World in Conflict' and the FIFA series.

The company has been bought for an undisclosed sum by Nottingham-based Monumental Games, one of the biggest independent British video game developers which also specialises in online gaming.

Swordfish has been sold by the Vivendi Universal Group and increases the total number of employees working for Monumental to more than 100.

Swordfish Studio head Mike Delves, who helped establish the Salford office in 2006, remains in charge. Swordfish is being renamed Monumental Manchester.

Mr Delves said: "We had a number of suitors for the office but we wanted to find a company which shares our aspirations for the games industry.

"Monumental was that company. It is actively working on the Football Superstar game which launches in the UK next month, and many of our staff will now also start work on this project.