投中交易｜索尼互動娛樂（SIE）收購Housemarque，投中資本擔任賣方獨家財務顧問

投中資本

索尼互動娛樂（SIE）今天宣布已完成對Housemarque的收購，後者是一家行業領先的芬蘭遊戲開發商，也是SIE的長期合作夥伴。Housemarque憑借其豐富的街機射擊遊戲開發經驗及強大的創意和技術能力，為PlayStation遊戲主機開發了8款獨占遊戲，包括《死亡回歸》、《死亡機器》和《異種國度》。

隨著近期PlayStation 5專屬遊戲《死亡回歸》的公開發布，Housemarque將其標志性遊戲玩法創造性地運用在第三人稱射擊角色扮演遊戲中，並將心理恐怖元素植入整體遊戲氛圍。總部位於芬蘭赫爾辛基的Housemarque將作為第13家工作室加入PlayStation Studios，共同開展全球遊戲開發業務。

索尼互動娛樂的總監兼首席執行官Jim Ryan表示：“Housemarque和我們合作多年，公司通過在PlayStation平台上發布的多款遊戲呈現了豐富的創造力，也充分展示了我們主機硬件的強大能力。Housemarque的加入也再次體現了我們對業界的承諾：為行業內最頂尖的開發團隊帶來提升，為玩家提供僅在PlayStation遊戲平台上才能找到的全新體驗。”

PlayStaion Studios的負責人Hermen Hulst認為：“作為一家非常成功的遊戲工作室, Housemarque在原創遊戲開發方面碩果累累，擁有業界一流的玩法設計。我們為Housemarque能夠正式加入PlayStation的大家庭中感到無比激動。《死亡回歸》為玩家們帶來扣人心弦的遊戲玩法，令人難忘的故事以及嚴苛的世界設定吸引了PlayStation玩家。我們十分期待和Housemarque團隊並肩合作，在未來的項目中實現他們雄心勃勃的創意願景。”

Housemarque的聯合創始人兼董事總經理Ilari Kuittinen表示：“在擁有超過15年成功合作經驗的基礎上，我們很高興能夠進一步挖掘自身潛力並加入PlayStation Studios。《死亡回歸》證明了我們雙方的緊密牢靠的合作關系，PlayStation Studios願意擔起風險給予我們探索創造和開發獨特內容的自由空間。我們迫不及待地想為PlayStation的忠實粉絲們回饋更多新鮮的遊戲體驗。”

Housemarque的日常運營將由原公司管理團隊及PlayStation外部開發團隊共同負責。根據合同承諾，本次交易條款包括交易金額都不會對外披露。投中資本擔任本次交易獨家賣方財務顧問。

SAN MATEO, Calif., June 29, 2021 - Sony Interactive Entertainment (“SIE”) announced today that SIE has completed the acquisition of Housemarque Oy (“Housemarque”), a leading game developer and long-time partner of SIE. Recognized for its extensive experience in the arcade-shooter genre as well as strong creative and technical capabilities, Housemarque has developed eight titles exclusive to PlayStation consoles including Returnal, NexMachina and Alienation.

With the recent release of the hugely popular PlayStation 5 exclusive Returnal, Housemarque evolved its trademark style gameplay by weaving a haunting narrative into a 3D bullet-hell shooter. Based in Helsinki, Finland, Housemarque will join the global development operation of PlayStation Studios and will be the 13th studio to join the PlayStation Studios family.

“Housemarque has flexed its creative palette on a wide range of PlayStation games over the years that have continually showcased the power of our hardware,” said Jim Ryan, President & CEO, Sony Interactive Entertainment. “The addition of Housemarque to PlayStation Studios reiterates our commitment to elevating the best development teams in the industry and delivering new experiences that can only be found on the PlayStation platform.”

“With a proven track record of creating original games that feature best-in-class gameplay, Housemarque is a highly-accomplished studio and we couldn’t be more thrilled to officially welcome them to the PlayStation Studios family,” said Hermen Hulst, Head of PlayStation Studios. “With its gripping gameplay, haunting story and unforgiving world, Returnal has captivated the PlayStation audience and we’re looking forward to working alongside the team to bring to life their ambitious creative vision on future projects.”

“After more than 15 years of successfully collaborating, we’re excited to amplify our potential even further and join PlayStation Studios,” said Ilari Kuittinen, Co-founder and Managing Director, Housemarque. “Returnal is a testament to our strong relationship with PlayStation Studios and the organization believing in us to take a risk and give us the freedom to explore our creativity and develop something unique. We can’t wait to bring PlayStation fans more fresh, new experiences.”

The day-to-day operations will continue to be run by Housemarque’s current management team in conjunction with PlayStation Studios External Development team. Terms of this transaction including the acquisition cost are not disclosed due to contractual commitments. CVCapital served as exclusive financial advisor to Housemarque.

About
Sony Interactive Entertainment

Recognized as a global leader in interactive and digital entertainment, Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) is responsible for the PlayStation brand and family of products and services. PlayStation has delivered innovation to the market since the launch of the original PlayStation in Japan in 1994. The PlayStation family of products and services include PlayStation5, PlayStation4, PlayStationVR, PlayStationStore, PlayStationPlus, PlayStationNow, and acclaimed PlayStation software titles from PlayStation Studios. Headquartered in San Mateo, California, SIE is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation and has global functions in California, London and Tokyo.

About Housemarque

Headquartered in Helsinki, Finland, Housemarque is a game developer working on console and PC. True to our core gamer audience, we prioritize stratified gameplay mechanics and impeccable audiovisual execution to create euphoric gaming experiences. Housemarque was co-founded in 1995 by Harri Tikkanen and Ilari Kuittinen. Prior to joining forces, Harri and Ilari founded two of Finland’s first game development studios – Bloodhouse and Terramarque. Today, Housemarque is one of the most experienced and well-known developers of downloadable games for console platforms, with a successful track record spanning 20+ years. ‘Game is King’ is our motto.

英文原文轉載自：

https://www.sie.com/en/corporate/release/2021/210629.html