InnoGames hires entire Funatics team following studio’s closure

Online studio InnoGames will be the new home of the whole Funatics workforce.

Based in Oberhausen, Germany, Funatics developed titles including Culture and Valhalla Hills, before being closed earlier this year.

Fortunately, its compatriot InnoGames has provided all of Funatics’ staff with fresh employment in its Dusseldorf studio, the fourth outlet opened by the developer.

Funatics founder Thomas Friedmann takes on the managerial role of studio director, replacing Dennis Rohlfing who shifts fully to his position as director for InnoGames’ Hamburg studio.

Meanwhile, fellow Funatics founders Thomas Hauser and Thorsten Kneisel have been appointed as game head and team lead art, respectively.

The remainder of the team will be spread across InnoGames’ various departments over the coming months.

The mass acquisition brings the headcount of the Forge of Empires creator to 40 people.

“InnoGames has a very good reputation in the industry thanks to its stable and healthy growth,” said Friedmann of the move. “Of course, it is difficult to abandon Funatics, but we confidently opted to move to InnoGames because they understand exactly how to develop successful free-to-play games.”

"The Dusseldorf studio is a cornerstone of our mobile strategy,” added InnoGames CPI Armin Busen.

“The Funatics team knows how to work in a cross-functional way; harvesting the power of small teams just like us. Thus, they fit perfectly into our studio strategy based on scalable and controlled growth on diverse gaming platforms.”