The parent company of 505 Games, Digital Bros., wants to acquire the assets of Starbreeze AB (The Darkness, Syndicate, Payday 2) for β¬19,2 million. It currently owns 7% of the shares and controls 28,6% of the votes.
Once the deal is done, Digital Bros. will become the largest shareholder of Starbreeze and will own 30,18% of the shares, as well as 40,83% of the votes. Once certain thresholds are passed, the company will be required to buy out the remainder of the studio's shares, which is valued at approximately β¬36 million.
The current agreement is to purchase assets that are owned by Korean game publisher Smilegate. βIn light of the existing business relationship, Digital Bros. sees its increased interest in Starbreeze AB as a move that allows the group to exercise greater control over Starbreeze AB's corporate strategy going forward," Digital Bros. said in a statement. in a press release.
For Starbreeze, the move makes sense, as the studio is in a weak position as a result of debt and a significant decline in the audience for Payday 2. In addition, it released Overkill's The Walking Dead, which in sales. This led to the restructuring of the company and the sale of publishing rights to games such as Psychonauts 2, System Shock 3 and 10 Crowns. In addition, Rockstar Games Starbreeze owns Dhruva Interactive, which later became Rockstar India.
Source: 3dnews.ru