Last month mega-online retailer Amazon acquired Double Helix Games, leaving the Xbox One’s newly revamped Killer Instinct franchise without a developer. Today we can confirm that Microsoft Studios has recruited Iron Galaxy Studios, the folks behind the two-button fighter Divekick.
“This is an amazing opportunity to work on a game and a genre we are super passionate about,” Iron Galaxy’s CEO Dave Lang told Polygon in a recent interview. ”Before we were ever talking about this, I was a fan of the game. And to get to now take it over and start with this great base, and expand it and put new stuff on top of it, everyone in the company is super pumped up, and we can’t wait to show people what we’re going to be doing down the road.”
This won’t be the developer’s first encounter with a major fighting game franchise. In addition to its quick knockout fighter, Iron Galaxy worked on Street Fighter 3: 3rd Strike Online Edition.
As for now, Double Helix Games is wrapping up its commitment to Killer Instinct, which includes the release of Fulgore, the final character for the game’s first season. The cyborg fighter will be available on April 9, along with a title update that introduces a highly anticipated Arcade mode, eight player multiplayer lobbies and an online spectator mode.
While Double Helix will soon be gone from Killer Instinct, it’s technology will still have an impact on the series. The game currently runs on the developer’s in-house Hex engine. This led to Iron Galaxy flying a team of its developers to spend a week at Double Helix’s studio in Irvine, California to become familiar with Killer Instinct’s tech.
Initially when Microsoft was seeking a developer to help it revamp the Killer Instinct franchise, Iron Galaxy was one of the studios that was considered for the project, but the developer didn’t have a large enough team to handle it at the time. Once Microsoft became aware of Amazon’s acquisition of Double Helix Games, the company reached out to Lang and an agreement was made. So, it looks like Iron Galaxy and Killer Instinct were just meant to be.
Iron Galaxy has yet to detail its long-term goals for Killer Instinct, but fight fans don’t have to wait to see Double Helix’s last effort in action. Check out a brand new trailer of Fulgore in action.
[via Polygon]
