Daedalic Entertainment, developer of the upcoming The Lord of the Rings: Gollum, will be acquired by Nacon in a deal for €53 million. The acquisition will close this year and includes access to Daedalic’s different IPs (while Nacon will support future projects via marketing, sales and publishing). Founder and CEO Carsten Fichtelmann will remain in charge of the company along with COO Stephan Harms.
Nacon chairman and CEO Alain Falc said in a press release, “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.”
Fichtelmann stated, “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.”
This isn’t Nacon’s first big acquisition, as it’s acquired Midgar Studio (Edge of Eternity), crea-ture Studios (Session) and Big Ant Studios (Cricket 22, AO Tennis) in recent years. It’s also publishing titles like Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown and Steelrising later this year.
As for The Lord of the Rings: Gollum, it’s also slated to release this year for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS4, PS5, PC and Nintendo Switch. Taking place before the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, it sees the titular character on a quest to recover the One Ring. Along with stealth and platforming, the title allows for listening to the voice of reason (Smeagol) or giving in to violence (Gollum). Stay tuned for more details on its release in the coming months.
