Elite Dangerous developer Frontier has acquired Canadian studio Complex Games

Elite Dangerous and Planet Zoo developer Frontier Developments has acquired Canadian studio Complex Games in a deal worth up to £11.6 million ($13.3 million).

The move will see Frontier pay an upfront cash consideration of £8.3 million, which will be followed by a conditional deferred cash consideration of £3.3 million based on certain operational milestones.

The deal marks Frontier's first external studio acquisition, and according to the company will allow it to further enhance its portfolio of "genre-leading titles."

Complex is best known for developing turn-based tactical RPG, Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate – Daemonhunters, which was published through Frontier's third-party game label in May 2022.

The Winnipeg-based studio was founded in 2001 and boasts a 20-strong development team with experience working across a variety of genres and platforms.

Complex said the acquisition will enable it to more closely collaborate with Frontier to "grow and evolve" its business with a view to creating more ambitious future titles and supporting Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate.

Frontier CEO, Jonny Watts, echoed those remarks and said the acquisition will allow Frontier to expand in Canada by establishing a core development footprint in the region.

"When we launched our third-party publishing strategy in 2019 we were excited by the potential to align our Frontier Foundry development partners more formally with Frontier through acquisition," said Watts in a press release.

"Our experience with Complex Games on Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate – Daemonhunters has been terrific, and I am delighted to welcome Noah and the team to Frontier, with a view to growing and evolving our development team in Manitoba, Canada. This is Frontier’s first acquisition and we will continue to explore opportunities to grow Frontier’s resources to further develop and nurture our portfolio."