People Can Fly, the developer behind the game Bulletstorm, has acquired Cooldown Games
The Polish game developer, People Can Fly, has purchased the Dallas-based Cooldown Games in a move whose financial details remain private. This acquisition marks a significant step in People Can Fly's expansion, as it plans to introduce a publishing division within its existing framework.
Cooldown Games, which launched in 2024, was founded by former senior figures from Gearbox, Id Software, and Warner. Its CEO, Steve Gibson, has a history as the president of Gearbox Publishing. The aim of the purchase is to provide operational support and funding for Cooldown's current and future projects, particularly those slated for 2026 and 2027. The two companies had previously partnered on the project Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition.
This transaction aligns with People Can Fly's broader strategy to "enhance its publishing capabilities" and to "boost profit participation in its own intellectual properties, while also opening up a new, low-cost revenue stream."
The move is expected to secure continual income through third-party publishing and to support potential future mergers and intellectual property opportunities. CEO Sebastian Wojciechowski of People Can Fly highlighted that the acquisition, although earlier than expected, rests on the longstanding trust with Cooldown Games and a commitment to making the publishing segment efficient from the beginning.
The integration of Cooldown Games facilitates People Can Fly's ability to improve their publishing infrastructure, aiming to bring games to a wider audience and exercise greater control over business results. This approach is seen as a solution to past operational challenges.
Steve Gibson, CEO of Cooldown, commented that the merger offers the scale and resources necessary to elevate their work with exceptional game developers. He emphasized the positive experiences with the team and expressed enthusiasm for future projects.
In recent developments last June, People Can Fly halted work on two projects, Project Gemini and Bitfrost, because of disagreements with an unnamed publisher, resulting in downsizing.
The company is presently involved in projects with companies such as Krafton on Xeno Point, Sony Interactive Entertainment on Project Delta, and Xbox Game Studios on Gears of War: E-Day.