Apple’s First Game Studio Buy Is a Tiny Team from Vancouver

In a rare move, Apple has quietly acquired RAC7, the tiny two-person game studio behind Sneaky Sasquatch, one of Apple Arcade’s most popular exclusives. It marks the first video game studio acquisition in Apple’s history, reports Digital Trends.

RAC7’s track record includes well-regarded indie titles Dark Echo and Splitter Critters, but Sneaky Sasquatch, released in 2019 as part of Apple Arcade’s launch lineup, is what put them on the map. Since then, the quirky adventure game has become a fan favourite—especially among kids—and has received frequent updates.

Now, RAC7 is officially joining Apple as an internal studio. “We love Sneaky Sasquatch and are excited that the 2-person RAC7 team has joined Apple to continue their work on it with us,” an Apple spokesperson told Digital Trends in a statement.

Apple says this isn’t the start of a broader shift toward building out in-house game development. Instead, it called the RAC7 deal a “unique circumstance,” emphasizing that it will continue to rely on a mix of small and large third-party studios for its Arcade lineup.

The RAC7 website and social media channels do not make any mention of the Apple acquisition, yet.