🏢 Event : Acquisition of RedLynx by Ubisoft
🗓️ Date : 2 November 2011
📍 Location : Helsinki, Finland
In 2011, after more than a decade of creative independence, the Finnish studio RedLynx reached a decisive milestone in its history: it was acquired by Ubisoft. For many, this acquisition might seem like the end of an era — that of an agile, experimental, and free studio. In reality, it rather marked the beginning of a scaling-up, without betraying the foundations of RedLynx’s culture.
At the time, the success of Trials HD on Xbox Live Arcade had thrust RedLynx into the spotlight. Released in 2009, the game sold over two million copies, an exceptional performance for an independent digital title. The formula is simple but deadly: a highly precise physics engine, ruthless level design, and a « just one more try » that turns every gaming session into an addictive loop.
Ubisoft, looking to strengthen its presence on digital platforms and diversify its creative divisions, immediately recognized RedLynx’s potential. It wasn’t just a matter of sales. The French giant saw in the Finnish studio a unique ability to create demanding yet accessible games, spectacular yet minimalist, capable of appealing to an international audience with limited resources. A philosophy close, ultimately, to that of some studios already part of Ubisoft, such as Massive or Reflections.
The acquisition, formalized in November 2011, did not bring immediate upheaval. RedLynx kept its internal autonomy, its offices in Helsinki, and above all its creative DNA. Antti Ilvessuo remained in position, with a now more public role as Creative Director. Ubisoft, for its part, provided logistical support, technical backing, and above all an unparalleled global distribution capacity — resources that would prove valuable for the future of the Trials series.
The goal was clear: to allow RedLynx to maintain its uniqueness while giving it the means to amplify its ambition. And this quickly materialized. In 2012, Trials Evolution was released on Xbox 360. It was a critical and commercial success, the result of a balanced mix between the studio’s original identity and Ubisoft’s ability to promote a franchise worldwide. The following year, the studio followed up with Trials Frontier, its first ambitious mobile game, proving that Ubisoft’s multiplatform strategy was already bearing fruit.
For RedLynx, this partnership was anything but an absorption. It was rather a pact for growth. Of course, some constraints appeared: a more structured release schedule, clearer commercial objectives, a stronger franchise logic. But the heart of the studio remained intact: a small team, a proprietary physics engine, a subtle but omnipresent humor, and a passion for games requiring finesse.
With Ubisoft, RedLynx did not lose its creative independence; it gained a network, greater firepower, and above all a more visible place in the global video game ecosystem. The studio, far from dissolving, asserted itself. And even though some long-time members would leave in the following years, the RedLynx signature remained recognizable — even in the latest titles of the Trials series.
Even today, this balance between Nordic experimentation and the structure of a French giant remains a rare example of successful fusion in the industry. In many ways, the acquisition of RedLynx by Ubisoft did not kill the studio’s independence — it allowed it to grow, at least at the time. Indeed, the Trials franchise today is no longer what it once was, and many players blame Ubisoft for this, citing poor management of Trials as well as the overall health of the French video game giant.