505 Games acquires Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons IP for $500K
Starbreeze announced the sale of Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons to 505 Games today in a deal worth $500,000. Starbreeze CEO Andersson Klint said the transaction represented his studio's "final transition to the digital strategy," following its recent efforts to push sales through digital distribution channels. The deal includes full rights to the game and intellectual property (IP).
With Brothers, Swedish studio Starbreeze created a new IP that gained strong traction with critics and consumers alike. The story-driven puzzle platformer earned a spot in our top 10 of 2013 and went on to sell more than 800,000 units to date.
Klint noted that, going forward, Starbreeze will "continue development focused on expansive design, a concept proven with the Payday franchise." As of November 1, 2014, Payday: The Heist and Payday 2 together sold more than 9 million units (both games were developed by Starbreeze subsidiary Overkill Software).
Meanwhile, 505 Games President Ian Howe said the deal underlined his company's ongoing strategy to own its own IP; 505 originally published Brothers back in 2013. This year 505 is set to publish Adrift, the astronaut-in-distress game showcased at The Game Awards last month.
If a new Brothers entry is greenlit, it's unlikely the game's director, Josef Fares, will be involved. Fares left Starbreeze following the release of Brothers to found new studio Hazelight, and he's currently helming a new game that EA will publish.
[Image: 505 Games]
