Devolver Digital goes public

[Infinitron]

https://devolverdigital.com/propaganda/devo

DEVO

Sometime in 2009 a handful of us sat down in Austin, Texas to launch a new video game label that would embrace the fun in video games and never let go. The label would invite developers from around the world to partner with a team of passionate folk whose sole focus is to make their artistic vision a reality.

Since then we like to think we’ve done just that. Devolver Digital has grown in many ways from that first picnic table meeting over beers, but our team is still driven to bring interesting and unusual games to the forefront and help developers and our fellow Devolvers achieve their dreams.

Today we’ve become a publicly traded company. At first blush that can certainly sound like a departure from a group of friends starting a boutique game label, but really it’s a kind of validation for our team and our partners. We’re insanely proud of what we’ve accomplished over the last decade, and we genuinely believe this will make us even better.

The employees of Devolver Digital are still the majority owners in the company - from those of us at that first picnic table meeting to those that joined this year, everyone at Devolver Digital owns a stake in the company, its future, and its future’s future.

So what does this mean for your sixth favorite game publisher? This means Devolver Digital will be able to continue to invest into all the games we’re working on now, partner on new ones that we’ve previously not been able to consider, and add more of the fine people we love working with into our cadre of consummate video game professionals.

That last point is an important one - over the past year or so we’ve brought our longtime partners and friends Croteam (Serious Sam, The Talos Principle), Dodge Roll (Enter the Gungeon), Nerial (Reigns, Card Shark) and FireFly Studios (Stronghold series) into the strong but gentle arms of Devolver Digital. Those developers and our team looked ahead and saw that we’d be working together forever so we lovingly acquired them, mostly so they would hang out with us more. The games and experiences that these four studios have planned are incredible and each maintain their full creative autonomy afforded to them throughout our relationship. No specific plans for Enter the Gungeon 2 but rest assured we’ve asked them more than once.

The team at Devolver Digital is forever thankful for the support you’ve shown to us and the developers that have trusted us as partners and we’re beyond excited at what the future holds. We’re all still sitting at a picnic table talking about video games, it’s just a bigger picnic table. Oh, and please buy Inscryption.

https://www.gamesindustry.biz/artic...usd950m-as-it-floats-on-london-stock-exchange

Devolver Digital valued at $950m as it floats on London Stock Exchange
Loop Hero publisher is biggest US firm to trade on AIM, Sony Interactive Entertainment makes 5% investment in Devolver

Devolver Digital has begun trading on AIM, a sub-market London Stock Exchange, in a floatation that values the indie publisher at close to $1 billion.

The company's stock went live at 8am this morning. Devolver's raised $261 million (£190 million) around its admission to AIM, valuing the company at $950 million (£694.6 million) -- in line with initial reports of the publisher's IPO plans earlier this year.

This makes it the largest ever US-based company by market capitalisation to be admitted to the London Stock Exchange, and the second largest company ever to trade on AIM.

According to Fieldfisher, the European law firm that advised Devolver, the publisher has received a "significant strategy investment from a key industry player," plus support from US institutional investors.

GamesIndustry.biz has also learned that Sony Interactive Entertainment will be making a 5% investment in the company.

The floatation provides Devolver Digital with $50 million in gross proceeds that will be put towards the company's expansion plans. It also included a secondary cash placing of $211 million for management and existing investors, including NetEase, which retains an investment in the company.

"An IPO is the right choice for us to ensure our continued growth and support even more wonderful games," siad CEO Douglas Morin. "Most importantly, it will allow us to retain our culture.

"Being a public company gives liquidity to our amazing team, all of whom are shareholders. It also gives us access to capital markets to continue investing in our growth strategy and talent."

Founded in 2009, Devolver Digital is best known for bringing indie games such as Hotline Miami, Loop Hero and the Shadow Warrior series to market.

It's headquartered in Austin, Texas and London, UK, with studios and 200 staff across Europe, North America and Asia.

 

[Baron Dupek]

https://nichegamer.com/devolver-digital-becomes-publicly-traded/

 

[Alfgart]

Fuck Devolver

 

[Ash]

After all this time did they ever publish a single great new IP? Serious question

I suppose Hotline Miami can qualify, even though it is good but not great.

 

[lightbane]

Carrion was a good game, if short.

 

[Silentstorm]

They have made some fun games, but the closest thing to really great they have made are Hotline Miami, Luftrausers, Downwell and the Gungeon series...okay and Dropsy which is amazing.

Otherwise, their games are what i consider games to have great ideas but lacking in execution or are too short and don't have the impact they should, Ape Out looked amazing, only played it once and tend to forget it exists, Minit needed more quests but it was fun while it lasted, Broforce is an AMAZING idea but too easy and just doesn't feel as fun as, say, Metal Slug and it needed more options for level creation, Okhlos was....holy shit, Pikmin but with Greek history and mythology, how could it go wrong...somehow they made that premise boring and a lot of people here are probably like "Wait, they made a Greek mythology Pikmin!?" which isn't a good sign.

Then again, i haven't played all of their games, i haven't played Olliolli and Ruiner, and still have to play Talos Principle and that game is quite well liked, the first two i mentioned is only because they seem like arcadey fun and Luftrausers and Downwell show that Devolver Digital can do that well.

 

[Tacgnol]

They have made some fun games, but the closest thing to really great they have made are Hotline Miami, Luftrausers, Downwell and the Gungeon series...okay and Dropsy which is amazing.

Made is pushing it. Didn't they just publish a bunch of those games?

 

[toughasnails]

Made is pushing it. Didn't they just publish a bunch of those games?

How else can we judge the quality of a PUBLISHER than by the games PUBLISHED?

I think they've had a nice showing over years, nicely balancing between the artsy gimmicky side and boomer games. And some of their best titles are somewhere in between, games that on he first sight seem to be playing on a gimmick but are still really good old-fashioned gaming experiences. That would be Carrion or The Messenger.

 

[Tacgnol]

Made is pushing it. Didn't they just publish a bunch of those games?

How else can we judge the quality of a PUBLISHER than by the games PUBLISHED?

I think they've had a nice showing over years, nicely balancing between the artsy gimmicky side and boomer games. And some of their best titles are somewhere in between, games that on he first sight seem to be playing on a gimmick but are still really good old-fashioned gaming experiences. That would be Carrion or The Messenger.

Yes but the post I quoted used the word "made". They didn't make shit.