Stockholm-based independent video game developer Nørdlight is acquired by the Canadian toy company Spin Master for an undisclosed amount. This isn’t the first time the two companies take the same path; Nørdlight Games raised an undisclosed amount in funding from Spin Master Ventures (the venture capital arm of Spin Master) back in October 2021.
Nørdlight was founded in 2019 by King veterans Olle Bäck, Simen Sandvaer, Carl Bjerkne and entrepreneurs Daniel Rapp and Magnus Rapp. Nørdlight is mainly known for its tower defense game Jotunheim: 1965, and the company is working on an unannounced puzzle mobile game as well.
The King veterans who helped develop the popular mobile game Candy Crush have been working together with Noid, a game studio owned by Spin Master. The Canadian toy firm bought Rubik and the two companies have been working together to bring “Rubik’s Cube” to the digital market.
Nørdlight CEO Olle Bäck said the following about the acquisition:
“We want to invest wholeheartedly in our collaboration with Spin Master and sister studio Noid. We see the project we are doing with them as the beginning of an exciting adventure and realizing a big project that Rubik’s Cube requires big muscles.
“We have found a great partnership in Spin Master and Noid. We feel secure in keeping our independence and share the same values around building games and treating our employees.“
Max Rangel, Spin Master’s Global President, and CEO also commented:
“The pace of innovation within the children’s entertainment space is rapidly changing, and this acquisition is strategically aligned with our long-term target to grow our Digital Games creative centre to up to 20% of Spin Master’s total revenue.
“Leveraging our expanding capabilities and roster of valuable intellectual property, we are well positioned to build engaging, evergreen digital games properties as gaming continues to permeate entertainment time for children.”
Fredrik Loving, Spin Master’s President, Digital Games said:
“We are dedicated to developing great games that captivate audiences from all around the world with playful, inclusive content. With the Nørdlight team now a part of our ecosystem, we can’t wait to show the world how we can evolve one of the best-selling physical toys into the next mobile puzzle game phenomenon.”
Olle Bäck said the company’s ultimate goal is to become a known brand, like Candy and Clash of Clans, but acknowledged that it’s a big challenge.
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