Microsoft acquires Twisted Pixel

Twisted Pixel, the indie studio behind games including 'Splosion Man, The Maw, and The Gunstringer, is indie no more. Microsoft announced today that it has acquired the Austin-based developer, welcoming it into the Microsoft Studios family.

"It is really exciting for us to solidify our long-standing relationship with Microsoft Studios, who we consider to be the leader in digital distribution and creating new innovations in gaming like Xbox Live and Kinect," Twisted Pixel co-founder and CEO Michael Wilford said in the announcement.

"As part of the family of Microsoft Studios we look forward to bringing even bigger and richer experiences to Xbox and Twisted Pixel fans around the world."

Added Microsoft Studios corporate VP Phil Spencer, "the incredible creativity of the Twisted Pixel team will help drive further innovation around Kinect and Xbox Live."

The terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

Though Twisted Pixel has only released games on PC and Xbox 360 so far, it's also a registered developer for PlayStation 3, Wii, and Nintendo DS. Presumably it won't be using those credentials any time soon, now.

However, perhaps we'll see more Twisted Pixel games on PC when Microsoft next gains a passing interest in PC gaming. Long before this acquisition was announced, in July, a Steam listing for Ms. 'Splosion Man was spotted and promptly pulled; hopefully this won't be adversely affected by today's news.