ZeniMax acquires Doom SnapMap team Escalation Studios

Bethesda Softworks’ parent company ZeniMax Media has announced it’s acquired Escalation Studios, the team responsible for 2016’s Doom SnapMap editor.

The Dallas-based studio was founded in 2007 by industry veterans Tom Mustaine and Marc Tardif, and has since been involved with the creation of Disney Infinity’s Toy Box for mobile devices, the iOS version of Midway Arcade and VR title Please, Don’t Touch Anything.

Mustaine was previously the owner of Ritual Entertainment, while Tardif was the executive producer and senior vice president of business development at Gearbox Software.

ZeniMax didn’t reveal what Escalation will be working on next, but it did say the studio was already hard at work on a number of projects across its games division, and that it will continue contribute to a range of PC, console, mobile and VR titles.

We have continually been impressed with the team at Escalation that Tom and Marc have assembled,” Bethesda’s vice president of development Todd Vaughn said in a statement.

Their commitment to quality and innovation has made significant contributions to the projects we’ve worked on together, and we’re excited to have them join ZeniMax.”

Marc Tardif, co-managing director of Escalation Studios added: "ZeniMax’s studios are responsible for some of the most iconic games in our industry. Becoming a part of this amazing family of developers is an honour for everyone at our studio."

"We are proud of the incredible team that has helped make Escalation such a success," added Tom Mustaine Co-Managing Director of Escalation Studios. "We can’t wait to see what the studio is capable of with the support of such a great company as ZeniMax."