Amplitude, the strategy studio that formerly developed Endless and Humankind for Sega, is now independent again

Amplitude, a development studio, has announced it will be breaking ties with publisher Sega and becoming a fully independent studio. After eight years under Sega's ownership, Amplitude has announced its decision to become a fully independent studio. Amplitude announced that ownership of the studio was "returning" to some of its original founders and team members. This announcement came alongside, apparently the games of Endless Universe that made Amplitude so famous--Endless Space, and Endless Legend.

Amplitude, founded in 2011 by former Ubisoft employees and acquired by Sega the following year, has released several titles. Humankind 2021 and Endless Dungeon 2023 are two of its biggest releases.

The studio announced this change with a message entitled, "Returning To Our Roots", which was posted along with a statement by founder Romain de waubert de Genlis.

"Our studio is backed up by strong and meaningful brands, and our team is dedicated to creating the best possible games. We are confident that we can deliver a great experience to our players with our extensive experience in strategy game development, and the two exciting titles we have in progress. This decision allows us the flexibility to continue to shape our vision, which has been ours since the beginning. It also empowers us to push the boundaries and be as close as ever to our community," said de Waubert de Genlis.

Amplitude said that the separation of the two companies was amicable, at least on the surface: "While we're going our separate ways, we part in good terms and wish all our friends at Sega success for their future projects."

Amplitude will release a new update for its latest 4X, Humankind. We found it to be "a smart historic 4X that didn't quite match [the studio's] best" in our review of 2021. Amplitude plans to announce future plans at the Amplified event in January.

Amplitude's departure from Sega is the second major departure this year of a strategy gaming studio under Sega. The first was Relic Entertainment, which had high-profile layoffs followed by a departure.