Focus Home Interactive has acquired 77.5 per cent of the share capital in Dotemu, the developer and publisher of Streets Of Rage 4, for €38.5 million (£32.6million).
In a press release yesterday (August 5), the French publisher behind games like A Plague Tale: Innocence, SnowRunner, and Greedfall, announced its acquisition of Dotemu, referred to as “a world leader in retrogaming”.
Besides bringing back classic titles through remakes or remasters, such as Windjammers, Wonderboy: The Monster’s Trap, and Zombies Ate My Neighbours, Dotemu has also been responsible for reviving dormant franchises with brand new instalments or reboots, such as Streets Of Rage 4, as well as the upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge, and Metal Slug Tactics.
“We are delighted to welcome to the Focus Home group talents such as [Dotemu CEO] Cyrille Imbert and his team, who have succeeded in making games attractive and giving them new life for millions of players around the world,” said Focus Home CEO Christophe Nobileau.
The rationale behind the acquisition comes from how a significant portion of the games market is turning to retrogaming, which Dotemu has excelled in, helping to re-release old titles and developing retro-flavoured titles in-house.
According to Imbert, who will continue as Dotemu’s CEO, “This new collaboration will allow Dotemu to benefit from the incontestable expertise of Focus Home Interactive’s teams for the production of AA titles and therefore launch the production of future remakes or sequels on licenses of first-generation 3D consoles.”
The last point indicates Dotemu’s intentions to not just revisit and revive retro games from the 8-bit and 16-bit era, but also the 32-bit era, which should resonate nostalgia with another generation of players.
Elsewhere, during a “meet the team” post, EA Motive has talked about its approach to the Dead Space remake and how it will “do away” with any dated ideas to ensure the game stays relevant to a modern audience.
