Apple Acquires Sneaky Sasquatch Developer RAC7 in Rare Game Studio Move

In a move that marks a first for the company, Apple has officially acquired RAC7, the small Canadian indie studio behind the Apple Arcade hit Sneaky Sasquatch.

The acquisition was confirmed by Apple to Digital Trends, and while the tech giant is calling it a "unique circumstance," it underscores Apple’s ongoing support for its game subscription service.

RAC7, a two-person team based in Vancouver, rose to prominence with the 2019 release of Sneaky Sasquatch, one of Apple Arcade’s original launch titles. The quirky, open-world adventure has become a breakout success on the platform — and a fan favorite among families and younger players. Apple noted that it continues to receive high engagement, with some parents even reporting their kids request Sneaky Sasquatch birthday parties.

“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 said in a statement.

A First for Apple — But Not a Shift in Strategy

While this is Apple’s first-ever acquisition of a game studio, the company emphasized that it isn’t the beginning of a broader strategy to buy up developers. Instead, Apple described this acquisition as a “one-off” decision intended to support and grow a game that has become deeply embedded in Apple Arcade’s identity.

RAC7 won’t be folded into a larger Apple Games division (because, well, there isn’t one). Instead, the duo will continue working on Sneaky Sasquatch as an internal studio, focused solely on expanding the game and enhancing its experience for Apple Arcade subscribers.

Prior to Sasquatch, RAC7 also released critically acclaimed indie titles such as Dark Echo and Splitter Critters, the latter of which won an Apple Design Award in 2017.

Apple Still Committed to Third-Party Partnerships

Despite recent news about Arcade's failure, Apple reiterated that it remains committed to working with a wide range of third-party developers — both big and small — to support the Arcade ecosystem. The platform continues to receive new titles each month, with recent additions like a new Katamari Damacy game and Space Invaders: Infinity Gene 2 showing that Apple’s pipeline remains active and diverse.

Apple Arcade Senior Director Alex Rofman previously named Sneaky Sasquatch as one of the service’s crown jewels, calling it a “major success story” for the platform. The game’s consistent content updates and charm have made it a staple for long-time subscribers.

A Hint of Bigger Things Ahead?

While the RAC7 acquisition is described as an isolated case, Bloomberg just reported that Apple may be planning "a dedicated gaming app" for its devices, potentially launching as early as WWDC 2025 on June 9. The rumored app would reportedly act as a launcher for titles and provide centralized features like achievements, leaderboards, and in-game communication.