Yuga Labs Acquires Otherside Creator Platform From Improbable

Yuga Labs has acquired the Unreal Engine–based creator platform that powers Otherside from Improbable. This brings a key part of its metaverse stack fully in-house. The deal also grants Yuga a permanent license to Improbable’s high-concurrency technology. This supports large scale multiplayer environments. The acquisition marks a strategic shift for Yuga Labs. As it moves to consolidate technology and talent under one roof. Until now, core development of Otherside has been shared across multiple companies.

Core Otherside Technology Moves In-House

As part of the agreement, Yuga now owns the customized Unreal Engine creator platform used to build content inside Otherside. This platform allows developers to design large virtual worlds, games and social experiences that can support thousands of concurrent users. In addition, Yuga Labs secured a perpetual license to Improbable’s high-concurrency infrastructure. 

This technology enables real-time interaction at scale, a key requirement for persistent metaverse style environments. By internalizing the tools and the underlying infrastructure, Yuga Labs aims to reduce development friction. The company expects faster iteration cycles and tighter coordination between engineering and product teams.

Engineers Join Yuga to Accelerate Development

Alongside the technology transfer, several engineers and developers from Improbable’s Imporium team will join Yuga Labs in 2026. These staff members have worked on Otherside for years and bring deep familiarity with the platform’s architecture. Yuga’s leadership said the move ensures continuity while improving execution speed. With the team now embedded inside the company, Yuga Labs can prioritize long-term upgrades instead of coordinating across external partners. Greg Solano, Yuga’s co-founder and CEO, said the company is “bringing all the tech and talent under one roof” to commit fully to Otherside’s future. Furthermore, he added that internal ownership allows Yuga to move faster and invest more aggressively in creator tools.

Improbable Calls Deal a Strategic Exit

Improbable framed the transaction as a successful exit for its Imporium venture. Furthermore, the company said it will continue supporting Otherside through its high-concurrency technology and open standards, even after the platform transfer. In light of this, Herman Narula, CEO of Improbable, said the firm looks forward to seeing what the development team builds with closer alignment inside Yuga Labs. He also noted that the transition is designed to be seamless for developers and users. For players and creators, Otherside will continue operating on the same core technology stack. However, Yuga now controls update timelines and feature development directly.

Focus Shifts to Creator-Led Metaverse Growth

The acquisition signals Yuga renewed focus on building a scalable creator ecosystem. The company plans to position Otherside as an open, multiplayer creation platform with real ownership and on-chain economies. While Yuga remains best known for Bored Ape Yacht Club. The move highlights its broader ambition in metaverse infrastructure. By consolidating development internally. Yuga Labs is betting that tighter control will translate into faster delivery and stronger adoption across its ecosystem.