Another day, another acquisition. Nacon has purchased The Lord of the Rings: Gollum developer Daedalic Entertainment for 53 million euros.
OK, this one doesn’t top Microsoft snapping up Activision or PlayStation acquiring Bungie, but it’s the latest in a recent flurry of game industry acquisitions.
French publisher Nacon is best known for a portfolio of studios that specialise in sports sims. Titles including Rugby 20, WRC 10, and Cricket 22 are among its most popular releases, and Crea-ture Studios’ highly anticipated skateboarding game Session is one of many titles in development.
Daedalic Entertainment is the studio behind cyberpunk adventure State of Mind and the cult favourite Deponia series. The two companies had already agreed a publishing deal for The Lord of the Rings: Gollum, a promising action-adventure game Daedalic is developing for console and PC.
According to the press missive confirming the deal, both businesses will be run with a “high degree of autonomy”. The acquisition gives Nacon access to new IP and provides Daedalic with the scope to grow its studio and strengthen its indie publishing arm.
Speaking about the purchase, Nacon CEO Alain Falc says:
“We knew, through our current collaboration on Gollum, that NACON and Daedalic share the same values and the same objectives to deliver unique experiences to gamers. Therefore, it seemed logical to go further together and we’re extremely happy of this acquisition. It represents a significant step in Nacon’s strategy.”
Carsten Fichtelmann, founder and CEO of Daedalic Entertainment, adds:
“After eventful years in which we always came out on top, I feel proud looking back at the past 15 years and the development of the company. Daedalic Entertainment has established itself as a publisher and developer of exceptional games across various genres and on all relevant platforms and has cemented that position globally. Together with Nacon, we are now taking the next step to further develop our catalogue of games created by our own team as well as many incredible indie studios. We are looking back at a trusting and cooperative collaboration on The Lord of the Rings™: Gollum™ and forward to an even brighter future together.”
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is likely to be the first major release following the completion of the acquisition. The game is due sometime in 2022.
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