Epic Games is expanding its presence in Latin America with the purchase of Aquiris, a Brazilian gaming company.
Aquiris will become Epic Games Brazil, giving the social gaming giant a foothold in the country’s fast-growing gaming market. Epic invested an undisclosed amount in Aquiris a year ago, praising the developer’s “artistic and technical abilities”, its use of the Unreal Engine and its prominent position in the Latin American gaming scene at the time.
The developer is known for creating Wonderbox: The Adventure Maker, a magic-themed game-making sandbox available on Apple Arcade. Like Fortnite, Wonderbox emphasizes customizable avatars and a beginner-friendly game creation environment that invites players to design their own experiences. The other original Aquiris franchise is horizon chasea 1990s inspired arcade racing series that is also available on Apple Arcade.
While Epic clearly saw the value in Aquiris’ existing titles, it will be tapping into the team of Brazilian game developers for its own ever-expanding crown jewel. Epic says the studio will now “create innovative content and social experiences within Fortnite,” though it’s unclear if games like Wonderbox and Horizon Chase will be incorporated into Epic’s sprawling playing field or if Aquiris will create original experiences for the game. Details of the deal were not disclosed.
“We are thrilled to leverage our experience using Unreal Engine in game development to contribute to the future of Fortnite,” Aquiris CEO Mauricio Longoni said of the acquisition. “Aquiris has been at the forefront of game development in Brazil and Latin America and becoming part of Epic Games will highlight developers from our region to the entire industry.”
Epic Games has been aggressively building towards the future of Fortnite, making it clear that the game will grow far beyond its image as a cartoonish multiplayer shooter. The company has been in huge licensing partnerships for years now, incorporating Marvel characters, hit albums, and even Dragon Ball Z into its core game. Last year, epic and lego announced a long-term plan to build a virtual world and game creation engine for kids that takes direct aim at Roblox, the platform synonymous with kids and games.