Epic Games has bought Mediatonic, maker of last year’s hit battle royale Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout, the company announced today.
According to Epic, “gameplay isn’t changing” and the company will continue to support Fall Guys “across platforms,” including PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Switch. “Your gameplay isn’t changing and neither is our mission to bring Fall Guys to as many players as possible,” the UK-based studio wrote on its website. “Each season, we’ll continue to expand the game with new content, features, rounds, and costumes.”
It’s not exactly clear what this will mean for the game’s long-term future on Steam, however, as Epic continues investing in exclusives for its rival digital game storefront. The company previously purchased Rocket League maker Psyonix in 2019, and a year later stopped new sales of the game on Valve’s storefront. (Update - 3:15 p.m. ET, 3/2/21: Epic did not respond directly when asked by Kotaku if it would commit to keeping Fall Guys for sale on Steam. “Long term plans are still in motion but we expect to bring Fall Guys to the Epic Game Store at some point to help them expand to new audiences,” a spokesperon wrote in an email).
Mediatonic’s previous games include the excellent Murder by Numbers puzzle game as well as the Gears Pop! mobile adaptation of Gears of War. Fall Guys launched last summer there and on PS4 as a free PlayStation Plus game for paid subscribers, and proved a nice distraction from the ongoing pandemic thanks to its goofy and chaotic online multiplayer. It’s also been a cross-over powerhouse, with skins released every few weeks sporting characters ranging from Sonic to Cuphead.
“It’s no secret that Epic is invested in building the metaverse and Tonic Games shares this goal,” Epic Games founder and CEO, Tim Sweeney, said in a press release. “As Epic works to build this virtual future, we need great creative talent who know how to build powerful games, content and experiences.”
Last month, Mediatonic announced the game would come to Switch and Xbox later this summer.
Update - 1:35 p.m. ET, 3/2/21: In an FAQ over on Mediatonic’s website the studio stresses that despite the sale “Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout will remain purchasable on Steam and PlayStation.” The studio is also aiming to bring universal Epic account systems, cross-play, and squad vs. squad modes to the game. On the topic of whether the game will go free-to-play: “nothing to announce right now!”