Black Forest Games joins Third Signal after management buyout
The German game developer says its management is buying the studio out of THQ Nordic and becoming a co-owner of Third Signal alongside a venture partner.
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Black Forest Games has announced a management buyout from THQ Nordic and will join Third Signal as the founding studio of what the announcement describes as a new independent group. Its management will co-own the group alongside a venture partner, the announcement says.
The developer had been part of THQ Nordic, within Embracer Group, since 2017. During that time, it released the 2020 remake of Destroy All Humans! and Destroy All Humans! 2: Reprobed. Rock Paper Shotgun cited the studio’s announcement of the split.
Black Forest Games emerged in Offenburg in 2012 as a successor to Spellbound Entertainment after its insolvency. It employed 40 former Spellbound staff, including Andreas Speer.
A new group and a continuing partnership
The announcement names the venture partner as Third Signal Ventures in its introduction and Third Signals Ventures in its company description. It identifies Adrian Goersch and Andreas Speer as Black Forest Games’ co-CEOs and co-founders of Third Signal Studios.
Goersch told GamesWirtschaft that the buyout had been in preparation for some time because the corporate strategy no longer fit the studio’s direction. The financial terms were not disclosed.
Third Signal founder and CEO Andreas Tobler said he aims to build a developer-driven group that gives teams independence, resources and creative freedom to pursue their ideas.
GamesWirtschaft identifies Tobler as a former co-founder and chief executive of JoWooD Productions Software AG and a former vice president for portfolio and business development at Plaion.
Work on a new project
Goersch said management wants to shape the studio’s future as owners again and plans to work on a new project with its team and partners, although the announcement did not give details of the project. The announcement also says Black Forest Games continues to develop and publish games under its own label and will keep collaborating with THQ Nordic on game-development tasks.
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Sources
Show all 4 sourcesShow fewer
- Rock Paper Shotgun"Some of the best games of the last decade came from teams of fifty": Destroy All Humans! remake devs Black Forest Games split from THQ Nordic to launch new indie studio group
- gamespress.com"Black Forest Games spins out of THQ Nordic to co-found Third Signal" - Games Press
- en.wikipedia.orgBlack Forest Games
- gameswirtschaft.deTHQ Nordic und Black Forest Games vereinbaren Management Buy-Out (Update) - GamesWirtschaft.de