Echtra Games will now join Zynga’s portfolio of studios and work with CSR Racing developer NaturalMotion on “a new, yet to be announced RPG for cross-platform play”. In a statement on the purchase, reported by GamesIndustry.biz, Zynga boss Frank Gibeau said Echtra would help grow Zynga’s many mobile franchises to PC and console audiences. Echtra Games was founded in 2016 by Max Schaefer, a co-founder of original Torchlight 1 and 2 developer Runic Games and veteran of the Diablo series. Torchlight 3, the studio’s only game so far, arrived in October last year. It was a little messy upon arrival, but generally well-received. “Max and his team at Echtra Games are responsible for some of the most legendary game properties ever created, and they are experts in the action RPG genre and cross-platform development,” Gibeau said. “This acquisition will be instrumental in growing our iconic licenses and brands from mobile to PCs and consoles, while helping to further expand Zynga’s total addressable market.” There’s no mention of what this means for the future of the Torchlight series.
