Vertigo Games, the VR specialist publishing and development arm of the global Koch Media Group, today announced that it has entered into an agreement acquiring 100 percent of the shares of Force Field, one of the world’s largest VR development studios, for an undisclosed amount. The Force Field VR team will continue its operations under the new name of Vertigo Studios Amsterdam.
Founded by game industry veterans in 2015, Force Field is one of the world’s largest game studios that are exclusively focused on VR gaming. A pioneer in the VR space, the company has developed multiple high-end VR titles, including Oculus Studios titles “Landfall”, “Time Stall” and “Coaster Combat”, and is currently working on an unannounced AAA game based on a well-known IP.
The Force Field team, under the name of Vertigo Studios Amsterdam, will continue their operations out of their Amsterdam, the Netherlands-based studio while collaborating with Vertigo Games on the development of new and IP-based AAA VR games for players on major VR platforms globally. The acquisition includes all segments of Force Field’s business, as well as intellectual property rights.
Richard Stitselaar, CEO at Vertigo Games said: “With multiple AAA VR game productions in the pipeline for the upcoming years, Vertigo Games continues to rapidly expand. Known for their AAA production standards and pioneering VR game development expertise, we are thrilled to welcome the Force Field team to the Vertigo Games family. Together we are a major step closer to building a global VR powerhouse that will bring even bigger, high production value, and cutting-edge VR games to players around the world.”
“Having spent years on the cutting edge of VR game development, creating showcase games and experiences for leading VR companies, we have built a world-class VR team capable of delivering best-in-class games,” said Arthur Houtman, CEO of Vertigo Studios Amsterdam.
“Today we enter a new phase of growth as part of Vertigo Games, who are not only one of the most successful VR game development studios, but also a leading VR publisher and part of the immensely diverse global Koch Media / Embracer Group, allowing us to fully leverage our company’s potential.”
The acquisition is the latest in a series of expansions by Vertigo Games, which has seen the company branch out from VR development into publishing, out-of-home entertainment, and distribution while establishing multiple VR brands including “Arizona Sunshine” and “After the Fall”. It follows the VR gaming specialist’s entry into the Koch Media / Embracer Group in September 2020, as well as its acquisition of SpringboardVR, the leading out-of-home VR content marketplace and management platform, earlier this year. This latest acquisition is another clear indication of Koch Media investing in VR and the exciting future it holds.
For more information about Vertigo Games, please visit vertigo-games.com and follow Vertigo Games on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
About Vertigo Games
Vertigo Games is a multi-platform VR publisher and developer with offices in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, Amsterdam, The Netherlands and Los Angeles, California.
With teams in the areas of development, publishing and LBE (location-based entertainment) distribution, the company offers a growing portfolio of quality VR games that provide novel, powerful and full-featured gaming experiences both in- and outside of the home.
Current games include Vertigo Studios’ Arizona Sunshine®, critically acclaimed VR titles such as A Fisherman’s Tale, and LBE-exclusive VR experiences like Ghost Patrol VR®. Vertigo Games has four releases in the 2021 publishing pipeline, including Vertigo Studios’ next VR action FPS game After the Fall® and the VR music game Unplugged. Vertigo Games is a Koch Media Group company. vertigo-games.com.
About Vertigo Studios Amsterdam (previously Force Field)
Founded in 2015 and headquartered in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Vertigo Studios Amsterdam is one of the world’s largest VR and AR development studios.
Its founders are game industry veterans, who have previously founded Guerrilla Games and have held executive positions at leading video games companies such as Atari and Disney.
Today the studio is developing next-gen VR showcase games for leading VR companies, having produced a number of highly acclaimed, award-winning VR games such as Landfall, Time Stall, Pet Lab and Coaster Combat, next to acclaimed VR experiences such as National Geographic Explore VR and Oculus Quest’s highest rated VR app Anne Frank House VR.
Press contact
Vertigo Games
Aïsha Kuipers
press@vertigo-games.com
P.O. Box 21300
3001 AH Rotterdam
The Netherlands