Bedford-based Alpha Dog Games, one of the leading mobile-game developers in Atlantic Canada, has been acquired by Bethesda Softworks of Maryland for an undisclosed price.

Founded by Jeff Cameron and Shawn Woods in 2012, Alpha Dog has developed such games as the MonstroCity series (most recently, MonstroCity Rampage) and Wraithborne. The company has made a name for itself in the development of mobile games, with its 2012 Wraithborne mobile game being downloaded by more than 1.5 million players.

"We are impressed by the team at Alpha Dog's commitment to quality and depth of experience in mobile," said Bethesda Senior Vice-President of Development Todd Vaughn in a press release. "We're excited to have them join the Bethesda family."

Based in Rockville, Maryland, Bethesda Softworks is a 33-year-old video game publisher whose ultimate owner is ZeniMax Media. According to Wikipedia, Zenimax was valued at US$2.5 billion in 2016, and employs 1,500 people. The Washington, D.C.-area company owns a portfolio of game development studios, including ZeniMax Online Studios, id Software, Arkane Studios, MachineGames and Tango Gameworks.

The companies issued a press release late last week saying that Alpha Dog will support Bethesda’s expansion in mobile games, which Bethesda says includes the development of new iOS and Android games down the line.

“I couldn't be more proud of my team today as we join the Bethesda family,” said Woods in a post on LinkedIn on Friday. “What more can I say? The past eight years have been filled with hard work, determination, persistence, perseverance, and simply the love for making games has turned into something awesome for Nova Scotia.”

In an email, Woods added that the company, which now has 12 employees, will be growing its operations in Halifax now that it is part of the ZeniMax group. He and Cameron have become Co-Studio Directors heading the Halifax operation and report directly to the headquarters in Rockville. The business will retain the Alpha Dog name.

“We are very excited about the opportunity moving forward,” he said. “We will be looking for new office space in the first quarter next year that can handle long-term growth.”