Splash Damage has acquired Scum developer Gamepires from Runescape developer Jagex, in a transaction backed by Emona Capital.
The acquisition was framed as “part of a refreshed strategic direction,” which would combine “Splash Damage’s long-standing multiplayer and first-person shooter expertise with Gamepires’ strength in open-world survival and live services,” the company said in a press release.
The combined group will “focus on expanding its premium development and co-development partnerships in conjunction with scaling the SCUM franchise and investing in new IP.”
Jagex acquired Gampires in 2022 while Scum was in Early Access, after the game had initially been published by Devolver Digital.
Splash Damage chief financial officer Ben Hopkinson will assume the role of CEO for the newly combined company. He described the acquisition as a “defining moment” for the Bromley-based developer.
The expansion comes only three months after Splash Damage placed its entire staff into consultation ahead of redundancies. The developer broke away from Tencent in September after being acquired by “private equity investors”, which today’s announcement reveals to be Emona Capital.
Investment from the latter will assist Splash Damage in “accelerating growth and strengthening [its] position as a leading independent developer,” the company said in a release.
Emona has recently backed a number of buyouts as publishers trim their studio portfolios. In March 2025, it Capital backed the Secret Mode buyout for an undisclosed sum. Its portfolio also includes Amber Studio, Blackbird Interactive, and Relic Entertainment.
“Our independence and experience, together with the acquisition of Gamepires, strengthens our ability to scale live-service titles and build new premium multiplayer experiences,” said Hopkinson.
“Alongside the strategic support and industry network of Emona Capital, this new structure provides a stable and positive future for Splash Damage.”
Scum launched in 2018 and became Devolver’s fastest-selling release, reaching a million sales in its first month. The game exited Early Access in June 2025 and currently sits at nearly six million total sold, according to data from GameDiscoverCo.
For its part, Jagex has refocused on its core IP of Runescape. It officially rebranded as Jagex: The RuneScape Company earlier this year, and CEO Jon Bellamy told GamesIndustry.biz the firm was investing “tens of millions of dollars” into building the brand, with the main games being its long-standing browser game and recent survival spin-off Runescape:Dragonwilds.
