Rebekah Valentine Senior Staff Writer Monday 9th July 2018 Share this article Share

Companies in this article THQ Nordic

Today, THQ Nordic announced it has acquired German developer and publisher HandyGames.

The Austrian publisher will gain control of all HandyGames IP, though the existing management, employees, and location of the studio will remain unchanged as a result of the acquisition.

HandyGames is best known for both publishing and developing various free-to-play mobile IPs, such as Townsmen, Clouds & Sheep, and Guns'n'Glory. However, the studio has branched out into wearable games in recent years for platforms such as the Sony SmartWatch and Samsung Gear Live. The company has also begun releasing VR games, most recently Townsmen VR.

"It is a true win-win situation for all parties involved, as HandyGames perfectly complements the setup of the rest of our group as the new 'go to'-publisher for small- and midsized developers and projects and will benefit from our network and infrastructure in return," said Klemens Kreuzer, THQ Nordic managing director. "In joining forces with HandyGames, THQ Nordic is tapping into the VR Games segment, and gains access to one of Europe´s most powerful mobile games distribution network."

THQ Nordic's acquisition of a growing European mobile and VR presence comes on the heels of an even larger acquisition earlier this year. In February, the publisher acquired Koch Media (including Metro and Saints Row publisher Deep Silver), posting a 673% revenue increase a few months later.