Behaviour Interactive, the largest Canadian video game studio, announced today that it has acquired SockMonkey Studios, an external developer based in the United Kingdom.
SockMonkey is Behaviour’s first European investment and will be renamed Behaviour UK – North upon acquisition. The studio will operate as a partner for Behaviour’s Services division, which provides development services to such clients as Microsoft, Sony, EA, Warner, Netflix, and Take-Two, among many others.
“We’re delighted to add SockMonkey’s award-winning team to our industry-leading Services division,” stated Rémi Racine, Behaviour’s CEO and executive producer, in a statement. “Like Seattle’s Midwinter Entertainment, which we acquired last year, SockMonkey is founded upon strong core values of innovation and collaboration. These values mirror our own and make SockMonkey a natural fit for our ambitious growth strategy.”
Founded in 1992, Montreal-based Behaviour is a multi-faceted Canadian gaming studio renowned for creating and supporting genre-defying titles. Behaviour has enjoyed immense success with its original horror-action multiplayer game, Dead by Daylight, and will release its next major original IP, Meet Your Maker, on April 4 of this year.
“We’re thrilled to celebrate our tenth anniversary year by joining Behaviour’s growing group of studios,” said Bob Makin, SockMonkey’s CEO, in a statement. “Behaviour is rapidly emerging as a global player within the gaming industry, and we are proud to represent the first step in their European expansion. We look forward to leveraging their resources to grow Behaviour UK – North, provide further career opportunities for the UK’s exceptional talent, and establish the Teesside area as a hotbed for game development.”
Founded in 2013 in Middlesbrough, SockMonkey’s 45 team members are focused on co- and full-development projects across all platforms. The SockMonkey team has earned numerous awards, including being recognized as one of Gamesindustry.biz’s Best Places to Work in 2022. As Behaviour UK – North, the studio will focus exclusively on projects for Behaviour’s roster of blue-chip clients.
Overall, Behaviour has more than 1,200 employees.