French video game developer and publisher Focus Entertainment (Evil West, A Plague Tale, Atomic Heart) has announced that it is fully acquiring UK-based developer Dovetail Games, the latter being famous for developing simulation games including Train Simulator, Train Sim World, and Fishing Sim World. The acquisition is intended to benefit Focus Entertainment with “established owned IPs” and “recurring revenue,” while allowing Dovetail Games to “grow in key markets […] with access to a wider network of resources and new monetization opportunities.”
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We are delighted to announce we will be joining the @Focus_entmt family!
Find out more here: https://t.co/Bu6xBJSrzg pic.twitter.com/rhXRZ3moDc
— Dovetail Games (@dovetailgames) April 20, 2023
The UK-based Dovetail Games (a trade name of RailSimulator.com) studio has notably been responsible for a variety of simulation video games in the last two decades. It released RailWorks in 2009 as a successor to EA’s Rail Simulator, and the title later evolved into Train Simulator and then Train Simulator Classic in 2022. The company then went on to develop the successful Euro Fishing, Train Sim World, and Bassmaster Fishing titles, carving out a niche for itself in the shooter-dominated gaming industry.
Acknowledging Dovetail Games’ enduring success, Focus Entertainment is now acquiring the studio fully along with its IP catalog and senior management team. From Sean Brennan, CEO of Focus Entertainment:
We are extremely pleased to welcome the talented and passionate teams from Dovetail Games into the Focus Group. The studio and its IPs are a very good fit for us and a worthy complement to the Focus lineup and strategy, with unique, compelling and definitive sim games celebrated by players all around the world.
CEO of Dovetail Games Jon Rissik (who will keep his position post-acquisition) states:
From our first meeting with Sean and the talented team at Focus it was clear that we share much in common, most notably a deep-rooted passion for simulation gaming, a commitment to deliver engaging and rewarding experiences for our customers and an underlying set of values that both empower our people and support their career journey. As a business we are ambitious and we believe that Focus’ publishing and distribution power will amplify our own talents as a digital publisher, allowing us to grow in key markets such as North America with access to a wider network of resources and new monetization opportunities. I am extremely proud of the company and strong brands that we have built over the past 14 years and look forward to joining Focus Entertainment’s confederation of entrepreneurs.
Dovetail Games will be consolidated into Focus Entertainment’s accounts starting April 20, 2023. While no new IPs or projects by the studio under Focus’s supervision have yet been announced, the latter will quite likely have Dovetail Games continue to capitalize on its core strengths through developing new and expanded simulation games.
Source: Focus Entertainment