Blizzard acquires Spellbreak studio Proletariat to work on World of Warcraft
The Boston-based team is contributing to the upcoming Dragonflight expansion
Blizzard Entertainment has acquired Proletariat, the studio behind free-to-play battle royale Spellbreak, for an undisclosed sum.
According to VentureBeat, Boston-based Proletariat has been purchased to bolster World of Warcraft development.
The studio has reportedly been working with Blizzard since May and will contribute to upcoming World of Warcraft expansion Dragonflight.
UPDATE: A PR representative for Blizzard has reached out to clarify that while the company intends to acquire Proletariat, it has not yet done so.
Blizzard president Mike Ybarra also said in a statement: “We are putting players at the forefront of everything we do, and we are working hard to both meet and exceed their expectations.
“A critical part of taking care of players is taking care of our teams—making sure we have the resources to produce experiences our communities will love while giving our teams space to explore even more creative opportunities within their projects.
“Proletariat will be a perfect fit for supporting Blizzard’s mission in bringing high-quality content to our players more often.”
ORIGINAL STORY CONTINUES: Proletariat announced earlier this week that it would be ceasing development of Spellbreak, with the game’s servers due to be shut down in early 2023.
“Our vision was to create a fresh, multiplayer action-spellcasting game with exceptional movement and class customization that would give players the chance to unleash their inner battlemage,” it said.
“Spellbreak was an ambitious project that saw our team push new boundaries in design and development and we are excited to continue to innovate as we create new titles in the future.
“To all Spellbreak fans around the world, thank you for the support and dedication that made the game and community so special.”
Blizzard confirmed last week that World of Warcraft’s Dragonflight expansion will launch in 2022.
Wrath of the Lich King Classic, a re-release of World of Warcraft’s 2008 expansion, will also be released later this year.
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 and Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy studio Vicarious Visions recently completed its planned merger with Blizzard.