Tilting Point has acquired the mobile game Star Trek Timelines from its original developer Disruptor Beam, and is setting up a new studio where former Disruptor Beam devs will continue work on the game.

That new studio is the Boston-based outfit Wicked Realm Games, and will be staffed in part by 19 developers that previously worked on Timelines during its time at Disruptor Beam. David Cham, the previous CTO at Disruptor Beam, is set to head up the independently operated team.

Following the passing of the Star Trek Timelines torch, Disruptor Beam aims to double down on development efforts for its Disruptor Engine, a project that seeks to turn its own internal live ops tools and experience into a platform other devs can use to better tackle development and monetization of their own live mobile games.

“[The acquisition] is a natural extension of our progressive publishing model in which we seek to progressively build deeper relationships with our developer partners,” says Tilting Point CEO Kevin Segalla. “Providing a new permanent home for Star Trek Timelines will allow the game to ‘live long and prosper’.  Bringing on this top-flight team with deep experience and forming a new studio in Boston makes it a double win for us at Tilting Point.”

That progressive publishing model, Segalla and Tilting Point president Samir El Agili tell Gamasutra, is a two-phase process that allows Tilting Point cohesively work with developers to help scale live games and, later on, step in as a co-development partner to help teams ready for their next project.

“‘Progressive Publishing’ means that we strive to progressively build a deeper relationship with our partners, starting with a smaller range of services and gradually expanding the level of support,” explains Segalla and El Agili. “We adopt this approach because it allows our developer partners to get to know us and see the results first hand before we mutually decide to extend the partnership.”

“In some cases this partnership leads to us fully owning and operating a game. Star Trek Timelines is a great example of the complete ‘progressive’ path from the initial user acquisition funding to the game becoming part of our family of great games.”