As one of the most high-profile games developers on Teesside is taken over by  a Canadian powerhouse, the boss on one side of the deal said it would establish the area as "a hotbed for game development.” 

Behaviour Interactive, the largest Canadian video game studio, has acquired SockMonkey Studios, based on Albert Road, Middlesbrough.

SockMonkey is Behaviour’s first European investment and will be renamed Behaviour UK – North. It will become a key player -  operating as a valuable partner for Behaviour’s Services division, which provides development services to such clients as Microsoft, Sony, EA, Warner, Netflix, and Take-Two.

 

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“We’re thrilled to celebrate our tenth anniversary year by joining Behaviour’s growing group of studios,” said Bob Makin, SockMonkey’s co-founder and CEO.

“Behaviour is rapidly emerging as a global player within the gaming industry, and we are proud to represent the first step in their European expansion. We look forward to leveraging their resources to grow Behaviour UK – North, provide further career opportunities for the UK’s exceptional talent, and establish the Teesside area as a hotbed for game development.” 

Founded in 2013 in Middlesbrough, SockMonkey’s 45 team members are focused on co- and full-development projects across all platforms. The SockMonkey team has earned numerous awards, including being recognized as one of Gamesindustry.biz’s Best Places to Work in 2022. As Behaviour UK – North, the studio will focus exclusively on projects for Behaviour’s roster of blue-chip clients

“We’re delighted to add SockMonkey’s award-winning team to our industry-leading Services division,” stated Rémi Racine, Behaviour’s CEO and Executive Producer.

“Like Seattle’s Midwinter Entertainment, which we acquired last year, SockMonkey is founded upon strong core values of innovation and collaboration. These values mirror our own and make SockMonkey a natural fit for our ambitious growth strategy.” 

SockMonkey was founded by Darren Cuthbert and Bob Makin, who were later joined by Darren Falcus. With over 35 years’ experience in the industry, Falcus co-founded Optimus Software – one of the first video game studios in Teesside - which was later sold to US publishing giant Acclaim Entertainment.

It secured £250,000 of investment from NPIF – Mercia Equity Finance, managed by Mercia and part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund in June 2020, which enabled it to launch a demo version of its first original game, Fish Tanks.


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The company more than doubled the size of its team and moved to a larger office in Middlesbrough town centre. With a focus on the growth of its marketing, art and animation teams it experienced record-breaking turnover.

Following the success of the Fish Tanks demo, the business also worked with game developer Sumo Digital and global indie games developer, tinyBuild.

Founded in 1992, Behaviour is a multi-faceted Canadian gaming studio renowned for creating and supporting groundbreaking titles. Behaviour has enjoyed immense success with its original horror-action multiplayer game, Dead by Daylight, and will release its next major original IP, Meet Your Maker, on April 4.