Denmark-based company Nordisk Games has announced it has acquired 40% of the Spanish-based developer MercurySteam.
MercurySteam is best-known in recent years for its outstanding 2017 3DS release, Metroid: Samus Returns. It's also previously worked on series like Castlevania, including the 2013 release Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate.
As highlighted by VGC, Nordisk Games now has a portfolio of eight European game studios. These companies include the likes of Avalanche Studios Group (Just Cause), Raw Fury (Call of the Sea), and a handful of others.
Nordisk Games senior partner Martin Walfisz provided the following statement about MercurySteam:
"MercurySteam’s track record speaks for itself, and the games they now have in development are extremely promising and exciting."
MercurySteam's CEO and co-founder Enric Alvarez is also excited for the studio to enter a "new era of consolidation and growth".
“Since the first time we met with them [Nordisk], we were very clear that both parties shared the same DNA, ambition and objectives... The saying ‘The best is yet to come’ takes on all its meaning now.”
By having less than 50 percent ownership of the companies it acquires, Nordisk is able to ensure the founders of studios "have control over their own destiny".
MercurySteam's most recent release was the 2017 free-to-play action-adventure game Spacelords.
[source videogameschronicle.com]
Comments 36
Get ready for wheres metroid Prime 4 comments.
And that means what besides a title that has Metroid in it?
This is one of those great independent studios that should have stayed that way.... taking on IPs from other companies and developing great things.
This makes me wonder if Nintendo will ever outright buy another studio. IIRC the last time they did that was back in the late 2000s when they bought out Monolith Soft.
@Snatcher After the underperformed release of a game like Cyberpunk, Metroid Prime 4 can take another 5 years to get released as far as I’m concerned.
@Majer 13 million copies (after refunds) in 2 weeks.
"Underperformed" is not the word you're looking for.
if it’s a good move for the company then good for them!
also, I need to purchase Metroid Samus Returns! it’ll be my Xmas gift 🎁 🎄
@Menchi Nintendo isn't exactly known for their beta releases disguised as 1.0's, while CDPR is.
@Majer Why automatically go to sales? Seemed clear to me they're talking about quality of the game.
Well this is news. So MercurySteam does officially have multiple titles under development... Curiouser and curiouser, they've been so quiet. Wasn't sure if everyone was on one big project or what.
@idork99 Samus Returns will be a GREAT 10-15 hours for you. Super intense every second.
Oh, so this isn’t Metroid related then...
@Majer True that.
I do still hope that rumored 2D Metroid is coming soon. Samus Returns was really good for what it was, but it felt limited by all the obligatory Metroid 2 stuff (and some other obligatory Metroid nostalgia). It'd be cool to see them giving the chance to make their own Metroid.
I dunno if that will happen, but it just feels like everyone involved would like that. Nintendo would like a 2d Metroid without having to make one themselves (if for no other reason than to keep the brand out there with Prime 4 taking forever), and Mercurysteam wants another well reviewed game. It would make sense.
@Menchi
Pretty clear he was talking about the game's quality, not sales.
But yeah, Prime 4 had better be an outstanding game at launch if it's going to meet people's expectations and invigorate the franchise's popularity.
@AnnoyingFrenzy my understanding is that they activity choose not to. This allows the studio to go in directions that Nintendo wouldn't, which is great for the studio's creative independence, and great for Nintendo to build a relationship with more studios; it extends the scope of their library that way.
Lol almost confused Nordisk Games for Nordic Games (i.e. THQ Nordic)
@Minfinity Oh yes I'm aware that they actively don't do that, as far as I can tell that has been their strategy since before they even bought out Retro Studios. But then, why did they buy out Retro and Monolith? Clearly, there are some conditions on which they buy studios, I'm curious to see when the next one comes up.
Not really a huge fan of what they did with the Metroid II remake
@Slowdive I've yet to play. What were your dislikes?
@Averagewriter The parry mechanic didn't bother me that much. I played the original Return of Samus as a lad and this fixed virtually every issue with it, but kept the spirit. I have it just behind the othertwo modern 2D portable system Metroids... but it respectably places right along side them (and they're all great).
I'd argue the fact that Samus Returns is a vastly better video game more than counteracts the fact that it kinda misses the point of the admittedly interesting atmosphere of the original game. Unfortunately all that atmosphere still requires you playing Metroid 2 over playing any 2d Metroid made after it.
@Menchi "Undercooked" is probably a better term.
Cool
Now Nintendo, your turn!
Pick up and save Alpha dream, acquire Game freak partially to force Nintendo quality back on Pokémon and if you are already doing shopping, pick up Grasshopper
Buy/create 1 phone game studio and do the leap and acquire a animation film studio
I loved Samus Returns, and I think the Castlevanias they made were pretty good too (except the second one). So I'm really glad they're growing and working in different project, I'm really curious about what they'll make next.
I wish Nintendo gave them the freedom to create another Metroid 2D. We want another Metroid 2D! And the worst thing about Samus Returns was that it was too linear, like the original; the atmosphere and gameplay were excellent. Come on, Nintendo, give us that surprise for the Metroid's anniversary!
Alright so I'm guessing the next article will be about EA acquiring Nordisk Games
Maybe Mercury steam will bring us this rumoured 2D metroid that has been mentioned a while ago.
Can we just get Samus returns on Switch for christ sake!
Nordisk Games is a game development/publishing arm of media conglomerate EGMONT, a media house of very similar age to Nintendo. They're viewed inside Denmark as our local Disney or AT&T, though, so not quite as heartwarming a reputation as the big N.
Nordisk Games has romantically been branded after the much loved Danish movie production company Nordisk Film. A company that EGMONT strong-armed a merger with in the 90s.
I don't know where they're taking Nordisk Games, but let's hope it's somewhere good. They've been gobbling up stuff around Scandinavia, and now I guess they're taking sizable bites out of a Spanish studio.
@Menchi Underperformed is something the investors have a different angle on though. The game literally got pulled from the PS Store, a bunch of others are refunding and there are still those that may have bought this for Christmas/Hannukah etc or with said holiday money afterward. They already made all their money back and are making a profit. That's huge, but imagine how much bigger it may have been following all the preorder and first week window sales. So it is underperforming from a certain point of view, just by the fact that the unfinished nature of the console ports got the worst word of mouth I've seen since Fallout 76 and the fact it is literally not digitally purchasable from the PS Store, is impeding further sales.
That doesn't mean anything they're working on in coming to Switch.
@Slowdive When I watch episodes of the original Twilight Zone run (also in greyscale!), as opposed to any of the newer series, I think I feel somewhat as you do about this game. Of course, there is something ineffable about the original experience of playing that can never be reproduced. A certain humility baked into the game itself, maybe, that gives that claustrophobia and atmosphere.
Thanks for elaborating!
I don't know where they're taking Nordisk Games, but let's hope it's somewhere good. They've been gobbling up stuff around Scandinavia, and now I guess they're taking sizable bites out of a Spanish studio.
@Pod Interesting. I don't always understand how economic nationalism works in the EU, so I appreciate your post. I do hope no one, Danish or otherwise, acquires Playdead, though.
So I guess MercurySteam is the only Metroidvania dev, they were lucky enough to have a chance to make a 2D Castlevania and Metroid game before they got acquired by a no name company.
@AnnoyingFrenzy actually , nintendo never bought mono, they were gifted by bandai.
@superguy123 Doesn't read like that, quoting the Wikipedia article on Monolith soft, "Nintendo's purchasing of the majority of Monolith Soft's shares from Bandai Namco Holdings was publicly announced in April 2007. Nintendo became the majority shareholder of Monolith Soft with 80% of shares, while Bandai Namco retained 16% and remained as a development partner. Namco Bandai stated that the exchange of Monolith Soft shares would strengthen their relationship with Nintendo. The remaining shares were divided between Takahashi, Sugiura and Honne. Nintendo's acquisition of Monolith Soft contrasted against the company's previous publicized approach of not taking part in mergers and acquisitions of other studios and companies. In a statement on the matter, Iwata said that the deal was initiated due to the positive relations between Sugiura and Nintendo, and the two companies' parallel design and development philosophies."
@Retro_Player_77
Nordisk Games might soon enough become someone you'll hear about. They certainly have the money to keep buying studios and IP for years to come, and keep it all running.
Among others they've already swallowed up Reto Moto, the first outbreakers from io-interactive, Raw Fury who publishes several existing and upcoming Switch games, Flashbulb Games which is the reformed PressPlay (after Microsoft chewed those guys up and spat them back out), and StarStable, Sweden's great big horse-back MMO for tween girls.
Now, whether they have the wherewithal at Nordisk Games to produce and publish anything of interest though, that they will want to put their own name on, time will have to tell.
@COVIDberry
Playdead thankfully has enough money to keep doing their own thing for many years to come.
I'm sure they are in no hurry to sell, having witnessed the trouble io-interactive went through on their date with EIDOS and SE, and PressPlay's closure by Microsoft.
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