The Austin-based developer Twisted Pixel has broken away from Microsoft, who obtained the studio back in October 2011.
The developer made the announcement yesterday, stating that they had a “minimally integrated” arrangement with Microsoft which would allow the studio split off if they ever felt it necessary.
“Microsoft has been an incredible partner since day one and we’ve always kept a background dialog open with them about the idea of returning to an independent studio model if the timing made sense for us,” said Twisted Pixel co-founder and creative director Josh Bear.
Now that Twisted Pixel is no longer affiliated with Microsoft, they hope to branch out onto other platforms while maintaining a healthy relationship with their former partner.
“We’re looking forward to the new relationships and platforms this will open up to us and continuing our strong partnership with Microsoft on future titles for their platforms,” said executive producer for Twisted Pixel Bill Muehl.
Both the studio and Microsoft have insisted that there is no hard feelings over the split. Microsoft General Manager Josh Needham stated that Twisted Pixel has been a great partner over the years and looks forward to any future games that they will release in the future.
“Twisted Pixel has been a great partner to Microsoft Studios, bringing a range of innovative new experiences to Xbox fans around the globe,” said Needham. “I can’t wait to see what this talented team creates next and look forward to bringing their outstanding games to Xbox and Windows 10.”
Twisted Pixel has been producing several games since 2009 for Xbox consoles and PC including The Maw, ‘Splosion Man, Comic Jumper: The Adventures of Captain Smiley, Ms. Splosion Man, The Gunstringer, and LocoCycle. Most of these games were well-received by critics at the time of their release with the exception of LocoCycle, which was a launch title for the Xbox One.
