Digital entertainment company Modern Times Group (MTG) has acquired the makers of Warhammer 40,000: Tacticus, Snowprint Studios.
MTG have acquired a 70% majority stake in the Snowprint, who were a recipient of our Pocket Gamer Award for Mobile Game of the Year in 2022. The Swedish studio was founded in 2015 and with the acquisition will now form a part of MTG’s Gaming Village concept. Co-founders of Snowprint, Patrik Lindegrén and Alexander Ekvall both previously worked with Candy Crush developer King and have a long history of working in the mobile gaming industry. The studio is led by the co-founders alongside studio general manager and game director Wilhelm Österberg.
Warhammer 40,000: Tacticus is a strategy game based on the IP first created back in 1983 by British tabletop game designers and writers Bryan Ansell, Richard Halliwell, and Rick Priestley as a fantasy miniatures system. The IP now boasts a multimedia presence including books, games, audio dramas and more. Tacticus itself is based on the sci-fi spin-off of the original system that has now arguably eclipsed its predecessor in global prominence.
CEO of Snowprint, Ekvall stated, “We have found the perfect owner in MTG, with a management philosophy and company culture that resonates with us as game makers. My team and I are proud to have grown Snowprint from a startup to its current position as a leading scaled independent mobile studio. We are convinced that MTG is the right home for Snowprint going forward, offering us both the freedom to continue building great games, and access to a broad toolkit that can help us speed up the growth of our portfolio.
We are convinced that MTG is the right home for Snowprint going forward
CEO of Snowprint, Aleksander Ekvall
“We are excited to be joining MTG and we are grateful to our investors King, HIRO Capital, Korea Investment Partners, Sisu Game Ventures and others who believed in our vision for the studio,” he added.
“In the grim darkness of the far future there is only… audience growth”
Given that Warhammer 40,000: Tacticus is arguably Snowprint Studios’ most notable title to date, it’s no surprise that it’s a key topic in the announcement of this acquisition. Maria Redin, speaking on the subject of Snowprint’s existing portfolio suggested that the main focus for MTG will be on growing this title, rather than assigning new developments to the freshly acquired company.
“Snowprint fits perfectly in our portfolio. Warhammer 40,000: Tacticus is a fast-growing young game that has been proven to resonate both with players and media, thanks to an easy, fun onboarding journey and deep, rewarding gameplay. The game also has strong affinity with a number of our other mid-core titles and we see great potential for cross promotion in the future. We also see significant opportunities to accelerate its growth by offering Snowprint access to the tools and knowledge we have within the group, helping them diversify their revenues and expand their player base,” Redin stated.
With MTG’s statement on their acquisition of Snowprint it seems that there is a clear path forward for the studio. MTG indicates that they will be looking to “grow Warhammer 40,000: Tacticus incrementally by supporting its expansion [into] new platforms” as well as in cross-promotion between other mid-core games in their portfolio. It presents a clear picture that MTG sees Snowprint Studios’ award-winning title as having a clear path to even greater success.
The subject of acquisitions and the maintaining of company culture can be a tricky one. During Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki 2023, one key talk by Rise & Play’s Sophie Vo went in-depth on the nature of acquisitions and how studios can prepare for them.
