Ubisoft fully acquires Anno developer
Ubisoft has fully purchased German developer Related Designs, best known for creating the Anno strategy series (Americans may remember Anno 1404 as Dawn of Discovery). The French publisher previously held a 30 percent share in the company, but bought the other 70 percent in an undisclosed cash transaction.
"Bringing the talented teams from Related Designs into the fold at Ubisoft is a mutually beneficial evolution of the relationship that we've had with this great studio for the past six years," said Odile Limpach, managing director at Ubisoft's Blue Byte studio (also in Germany). Ubisoft's Blue Byte (The Settlers) was handling publishing duties on the Anno series since Anno 1404 in 2009 C.E.
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UBISOFT® ACQUIRES REMAINING STAKE IN RELATED DESIGNS®
SAN FRANCISCO - April 11, 2013 - Today, Ubisoft announced the acquisition of Related Designs, a leading German development studio for PC strategy games, including the critically-acclaimed AnnoTM franchise. Ubisoft previously owned 29.95 percent of the company and is acquiring the remaining 70.05 percent in a cash transaction.
Established in 1995, Related Designs is a highly accomplished studio known for creating the award-winning PC titles Anno 1701TM, Anno 1404TM, Anno 2070® as well as real-time strategy games such as No Man´s Land and Castle Strike. As part of Ubisoft, Related Designs' experienced 65-person staff will continue development of the browser-based free-to-play MMO game Might & Magic® Heroes® Online, and will work on future titles in partnership with Blue Byte, a Ubisoft studio.
"Bringing the talented teams from Related Designs into the fold at Ubisoft is a mutually beneficial evolution of the relationship that we've had with this great studio for the past six years," said Odile Limpach, managing director at Ubisoft's Blue Byte studio. "This extremely fruitful cooperation can now advance thanks to the joint teams of Blue Byte and Related Designs more easily sharing experiences and resources. Together we will continue developing awesome games, including Might and Magic Heroes Online, which we hope will become a leading free-to-play title for Ubisoft."
"We're happy to formally join Ubisoft," said Thomas Pottkämper, managing director, Related Designs. "This move validates our longstanding partnership and provides our teams with additional resources to expand upon their great work."
About Ubisoft:
Ubisoft is a leading producer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment products worldwide and has grown considerably through a strong and diversified lineup of products and partnerships. Ubisoft has offices in 29 countries and has sales in more than 55 countries around the globe. It is committed to delivering high-quality, cutting-edge video game titles to consumers. For the 2011–12 fiscal year Ubisoft generated sales of 1.061 billion euros. To learn more, please visit http://www.ubisoftgroup.com
© 2009-2013 Ubisoft Entertainment. All Rights Reserved. Might and Magic, Heroes, Ubisoft and the Ubisoft logo are trademarks of Ubisoft Entertainment in the US and/or other countries. Anno, Anno 1404, are trademarks of Ubisoft GmbH in the U.S. and/or other countries.
