Microsoft and Twisted Pixel have jointly announced that Microsoft has gone and  purchased development studio responsible for hits such as Splosion Man, Ms. Splosion Man and the more recent Gunstringer for Xbox Live Arcade.

Though the studio had been developing games for Xbox Live Arcade, they were not a first-party studio until now.

“Twisted Pixel has an incredible track record of innovative, critically acclaimed, and most importantly, fun, games,” said Phil Spencer, corporate vice president, Microsoft Studios. “Microsoft Studios is home to cutting-edge entertainment experiences, and the incredible creativity of the Twisted Pixel team will help drive further innovation around Kinect and Xbox LIVE.

“As part of the family of Microsoft Studios we look forward to bringing even bigger and richer experiences to Xbox and Twisted Pixel fans around the world,” added Michael Wilford, co-founder and chief executive officer of Twisted Pixel.