THQ Nordic Continues its Acquisition Frenzy by Acquiring Bugbear Entertainment and Coffee Stain

For the past few years, THQ Nordic has been on an acquisition frenzy. They’ve acquired developers likeBlack Forest Gamesas well as the rights to notable IP likeAlone in the Dark,Kingdoms of Amalur, andTimeSplitters. Today, the Swedish publisher continued that trend by acquiring two new studios:Wreckfestdeveloper Bugbear Entertainment andSatisfactorydeveloper Coffee Stain Studios.

The acquisition of Bugbear Entertainment is less of a surprise as the team has worked closely with THQ Nordic for over a year onWreckfest, which is finally coming to consoles next yearafter a short delay.Wreckfestwas apparently one of the “best performing games published by THQ Nordic on Steam,” which made the studio and its proprietary engine an enticing purchase for THQ Nordic.

Now that Bugbear Entertainment is a subsidary, THQ Nordic plans on making “long term investments to support Bugbear’s future growth journey,” and wants to makeWreckfestinto a “major franchise” for the publisher in the coming years. Bugbear Entertainment join Rainbow Studios, developer of theMX vs. ATVseries, as a racing game focused THQ Nordic subsidiary. Bugbear CEO Janne Alanenpää did comment on the acquisition:

“We are very excited to join forces with the THQ Nordic team. I believe THQ Nordic will become a perfect home for Bugbear to support our passion for games and for our customer. We look forward to accelerate our development of high quality racing games to contribute to THQ Nordic’s portfolio and future growth.”

When it comes the Coffee Stain Studios, THQ Nordic now owns the IP rights to Coffee Stain’s Satisfactory, Goat Simulator,andSanctumfranchises. THQ Nordic will also be publishingDeep Rock Galacticafter this acquisition. Lars Wingefors, CEO of THQ Nordic, had the following to say about the Coffee Stain Studios acquisition:

“We are creating a complementary digital native pillar to THQ Nordic. Coffee Stain is a passionate and highly competent team creating and publishing great games. After some years without major releases the pipeline of new game releases such asSatisfactoryandDeep Rock Galacticlook strong. I look forward to work together with Anton Westbergh and his team in the future.”

Meanwhile, the acquisition was also discussed by Coffee Stain Studios CEO Anton Westbergh:

“I strongly believe that THQ Nordic is a great home for Coffee Stain. In addition to having long experience within games development and publishing, THQ Nordic has the skills, willingness and capital to support our new releases and growth in the future”

DualShockers will be sure to let you know when THQ Nordic acquires another studio or property as well as when they unveil any new titles from Bugbear Entertainment or Coffee Stain.