Wargaming.net acquires BigWorld for $45m

World of Tanks developer Wargaming.net has acquired engine firm BigWorld for $45 million.

As reported by VentureBeat, the studio’s CEO Victor Kislyi said it had purchased the middleware outfit, which powers its MMOs, so that it could stay in control of its own destiny.

He added that the acquisition would make development a more efficient process and will lower costs associated with game creation.

Kislyi also claimed that the company is aiming to achieve annual revenues of more than $200 million in the near future.

“This is very crucial for us, as we want to control the technology provider we are using,” said Kislyi.

“Now we can integrate them to make internal development more efficient.”

Wargaming.net first adopted BigWorld’s tech nearly five years ago for World of Tanks, and is also set to harness development platform for its upcoming titles World of Warships and World of Warplanes.

BigWorld will still exist as a engine vendor and as a licensing business despite the acquisition, allowing external developers to adopt the tech for their own MMOs.

“BigWorld has a licensing business of its own and we will continue to support its customers,” said Kislyi.

“We will be in a position in the future, if everything goes right, to offer the combined BigWorld and Wargaming technology to anyone who wants to do an MMO.”

As part of the purchase, more than 25 employees have been added to the studio’s staff, bringing the number of developers at the company to over 1,000.