As 2020 nears its end, it seems that many large companies are looking to make acquisitions. Yet another example of that is a new investment made by Nordisk Games, which is based out of Copenhagen, Denmark. Nordisk’s new effort is a significant stake in game developerMercurySteam, purchasing 40% of the company. No details about the investment, including the value of the purchase, have been shared by either Nordisk orMercurySteam.
MercurySteam, for those unfamiliar, is best known for its development of theCastlevania: Lords of Shadowfranchise made over the past decade. Between 2010 and 2014, MercurySteam released the originalCastlevania: Lords of Shadow, its sequel, and a successful 3DS spin-off subtitledMirror of Fate. All three games were made in partnership with Konami, which owns theCastlevaniabrand.Negative reception toLords of Shadow 2appeared to doom the offshoot ofCastlevaniaat MercurySteam, unfortunately.
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While theCastlevania: Lords of Shadowseries may be what MercurySteam is best known for overall, its 2017 releaseMetroid: Samus Returnsperhaps stands out strongest of all in modern gamers' memories.Metroid: Samus Returnsis a reimagining ofMetroid 2: Return of Samusfor the Game Boy. It was very well received, but remains exclusive to the Nintendo 3DS. There are some rumors that point to the modernizedMetroidclassic being ported to the Nintendo Switch, however.
MercurySteam is said to be working on multiple games, but has nothing officially announced. ConsideringMercurySteam’s history of high-quality releasesover the past decades, with fewer than three years between major game releases, it seems like it’s in an odd place. The last that was heard from MercurySteam was in 2018 when it was still excitedly discussing its relationship with Nintendo. It’s possible that its new projects are taking longer than expected, or that a game may have been canceled, either of which may have forced the company to seek additional funding.
Nordisk is also an interesting part of this equation.Nordiskhas long claimed that its goal was to invest heavily in European game development. However, until now, Nordisk has only invested in teams from the Nordics. MercurySteam is based in Spain, which could imply a new range of expansion for Nordisk.
A 40% stake in MercurySteam will allow the game studio its continued independence going forward, though Nordisk isn’t known to be a particularly demanding ownership company in the first place. For example, Nordisk acquiredAvalanche Studiosin 2018 and the team has released more than one exciting project since. Hopefully, the new investment inMercurySteamallows it to continue putting out games likeCastlevania: Lords of Shadows,Metroid: Samus Returns, and others as it pleases.
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