2 Nov 2020
The Catalis Group acquires the Canadian developer, and creator of For The King, IronOak Games Inc.
The Catalis Group is expanding its North American footprint with a second bolt-on acquisition completed during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Curve Digital, part of the Catalis Group, has bought Vancouver-based IronOak Games, an independent games developer.
IronOak Games, headed up by Gordon Moran and Colby Young, was founded in January 2015 and it has previously collaborated with Curve Digital on the critically acclaimed title For The King, a game published for PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch.
The deal forms part of Curve Digital’s wider strategy of acquiring independent game development studios with established IP. It also marks Catalis Group’s second bolt-on acquisition supported by Vespa Capital and NorthEdge during the pandemic. Testronic acquired Whyttest, a technical services provider with studios in Serbia and Romania in August 2020.
IronOak’s Vancouver office adds to Catalis Group’s North American presence, which also includes offices in Los Angeles and the recently opened Testronic office in New Orleans.
Jason Perkins, Managing Director at Curve Digital, said: “Our goal, since 2013, has been to become the main choice in publishing for independent studios worldwide and as we evolve, so do our relationships with development partners. IronOak share the same values and goals as we do, so it made sense for the team to join the Curve family.”
Dominic Wheatley, Catalis Group Chief Executive, added: “We are really looking forward to working alongside the IronOak team to expand the For The King IP. This acquisition, again supported by Vespa Capital and NorthEdge, is another sign of our commitment to continued growth. As a fast growing, ambitious publisher Curve is looking at more acquisitions and encouraging developers that might want to work with us to reach out.”
Catalis advisors included DWF and Miller Thomson (legal counsel) and Grant Thornton (tax).
IronOak and management advisors included Voyer Law Corporation (legal) and Branham & Company (financial).
For any enquiries
Catalis Group
Dominic Wheatley, CEO
Andrew Lawton, Corporate Finance and Strategy Director
Travis Winstanley, VP Corporate Strategy
via Yellow Jersey PR
Yellow Jersey PR
Charles Goodwin
+44 (0) 7747 787 221
About Curve Digital
Curve Digital is an award-winning independent label publishing games on both PC and consoles. Since 2013, Curve Digital has been collaborating with development studios around the world, big and small, to bring great gaming experiences to life and share them with players across the globe. With a uniquely diverse games catalogue that includes renowned indie hits such as For The King and Space Crew as well as critically acclaimed titles like Flame in the Flood and Autonauts to the multi-million selling smash hit Human: Fall Flat, Curve Digital has taken its place as one of the leading games publishers globally.
About IronOak Games Inc.
IronOak Games is a video game developer founded in 2015 by industry veterans with a passion for board games and roleplaying games. IronOak’s first critically acclaimed title, For The King, has over 3 million players to date and is available across PC and Console platforms.
About Catalis Group
Catalis is a provider of testing and publishing services to the video games industry. The Group comprises two businesses: Curve, a major publisher for third party indie video games, and Testronic, which boasts a premium position as a quality assurance service provider for many games companies around the world.
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