PARIS, FRANCE: Atari, one of the world’s most iconic consumer brands and interactive entertainment producers, has entered into an agreement to acquire 100% of Night Dive Studios Inc., a full service game development and publishing company based in Vancouver, Washington, USA.
The purchase price of Night Dive will consist of an initial consideration of US$10 million payable half in cash and half in Atari shares at the closing of the acquisition an earn-out of up to US$10 million, payable in cash over the next three years based on the future performance of Night Dive Studios.
It is expected that the acquisition of Night Dive will be completed in April 2023.
In addition, Atari SA also announced that it intends to proceed in the near-term with a €30 million bond issue convertible into new shares of Atari in order to meet with its capital needs in the context of the implementation of its new growth strategy and refinancing of its debt.
Led by industry veterans Stephen Kick and Larry Kuperman, Night Dive is a full service development and publishing company with expertise in restoring, optimizing, and publishing classic video games. Night Dive has published over 100 titles and has garnered critical acclaim for their releases of seminal industry and fan-favorite titles including System Shock, Doom 64, and Quake.
Night Dive’s most recent project is a remastered version of classic FPS game System Shock, which is one of the most-anticipated retro releases of 2023. System Shock is now available for pre-order on Steam, GOG and Epic Games.
A key to the success of Night Dive Studios is their proprietary KEX engine that makes classic games playable on modern hardware and gives the studio the ability to enhance and improve upon the original to meet the expectations of contemporary players. The studio’s reputation and deep industry knowledge have made them a go-to partner for some of the largest names in gaming and media and allowed them to develop a diversified portfolio of titles.
For the fiscal year ended December 2022, Night Dive has reported revenue of approximately US$3.0 million1. The founders own 87% of the Company’s shares while Wade Rosen, Chairman and CEO of Atari, owns a minority stake of 13%2.
With this acquisition Atari will enrich its large library of owned IP, be able to leverage Night Dive’s proprietary technology, and utilize Night Dive’s publishing capabilities to support Atari’s retro-focused growth strategy.
Wade Rosen, Chairman and CEO of Atari, commented: “Night Dive’s proven expertise and successful track record in commercializing retro IP is well-aligned with Atari’s strategy and I am confident that their combined talent, technology and IP portfolio will contribute to Atari’s future success.”
Stephen Kick and Larry Kuperman, principals of Night Dive commented: “Night Dive and Atari have a long history together and we know that Atari shares our passion for retro games and our focus on producing high-quality new and remastered games that do justice to the original IP. As we look to grow our business and expand our capabilities, we could think of no better long-term partner than Atari.”
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