The death of independent developers looms ever nearer today with word from the that publisher have bolstered their "internal capabilities." This means that one of their partner developers has been fully acquired by the burgeoning firm, the second largest in the world by our reckoning. Beenox are the studio in question, and Activision seem pleased with their new 'foothold' in Quebec, Canada. Beenox have garnered success in the past through the creation of game porting tools, and multiplatform development middleware, having assisted Acti with the likes of Shrek 2 and Tony Hawk's Underground 2 in the past.

The firm's latest Acti title is The Fantastic Four. "We are excited about the talent and experience that Beenox brings to Activision," enthused Kathy Vrabeck, president of Activision Publishing. "Beenox's extensive porting background will be a key component of our console transition by allowing us to focus our resources on next-generation technologies while continuing to develop games for current-generation systems. Quebec's expanding innovative talent pool will provide Activision with future growth opportunities."

Beenox's staff have signed long-term deals, and the 32-strong team will remain in Quebec. More soon.

By Luke Guttridge

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