Dauntless became a surprise hit in 2019 when it launched as a free-to-play co-op monster hunting game from indie studio Phoenix Labs. Its time since then has seen it grow to be one of the most successful free-to-play games of the generation and that sort of success will capture the attention of many. Clearly that's happened, as Phoenix Labs has now been acquired by Sea Limited, a Singapore-based internet company. Specifically, it's the company's "entertainment arm," Garena that is responsible for the purchase. Figures for the deal were not made public.
The buyout, which occurred in recent days, was revealed in a new press release wherein the studio and their new parent company expressed mutual excitement for the transition.
"Our partners at Garena have been our most steadfast supporters since the early days of Phoenix Labs, and we are excited to join forces with a global games leader," said Jesse Houston, co-founder and CEO of Phoenix Labs. "With this next step, we’re able to ensure that we can provide the best possible experience for Dauntless players around the world. We’re extremely excited about what the future holds for Phoenix Labs, as we continue to support our ever-growing Dauntless community and explore future games.”
Meanwhile, Forrest Li, co-founder and Group CEO of Sea shared similar sentiments, saying "We couldn’t be happier to welcome Phoenix Labs to the Garena family. Over the last few years, we have watched Phoenix Labs mature into one of the best development teams in the business and launch a hugely exciting title in Dauntless. We also know that they share our mission of making great games, creating the best teams, and putting players first. Our skills sets are highly complementary, and we see many exciting opportunities ahead that our teams can explore together.”
Dauntless is the debut title from Phoenix Labs, and it's a game in which became one of the earliest investors. Now the marriage between Sea Limited and Phoenix Labs is official. Phoenix Lab's operations will continue as normal, both parties confirmed. The Vancouver-based studio, which has grown to surpass 100 developers across multiple offices around North America, will seek to expand the game into more regional markets, naming Latin America and Asia specifically, as well as finding more reach on mobile.
