There's been some major consolidation in the European game development scene. French game publisher Nacon has announced its plans to acquire German developer and indie publisher Daedalic Entertainment for a maximum price of €53 million (about $60.2 million).
Nacon is paying €32 million up front for the company, with an earn-out payable for 100% in cash, based on performance until 2026 to follow.
Daedalic and Nacon have been partnered for a minute for the release of Gollum, the upcoming video game centered on the character created by J.R.R. Tolkein. That partnership appears to be a big driver for the acquisition effort. "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," Nacon chairman and CEO Alain Falc explained.
Daedalic's had a few global hits over the last few years, but in its 15 years of existence, it's mostly been known as a studio popular with German players. It's developed numerous video games based on The Dark Eye, a taletop role-playing game series popular in Germany, and published titles from a number of other developers.
Nacon (which was known as Bigben Interactive until 2020), made headlines last year for a publishing dispute over The Sinking City, which was developed by Frogwares. The publisher has been purchasing studios like Spiders and Big Ant Studios over the last few years.