The indie publisher is now publicly traded
Independent game publisher Devolver Digital started trading on AIM, a sub-market of the London Stock Exchange this morning. And soon after, Sony confirmed it’s one of the investors already hopping on board.
A GamesIndustry.biz report this morning said that the outlet had learned Sony Interactive Entertainment would be making a 5% investment in Devolver Digital. Later on, a tweet from Sony confirmed the company’s investment in Devolver Digital, saying it’s “honored” to be an investor.
Shoutout to our friends @DevolverDigital on their public offering today! Weāre honored to be an investor. Keep shining a light on those great indie games š” pic.twitter.com/6Fnn7iTT9b
— PlayStation (@PlayStation) November 4, 2021
Devolver has been valued at $950 million, making it the largest ever U.S.-based company by market capitalization to be admitted onto the London Stock Exchange. It’s the second-largest to ever trade on AIM.
In a blog post today, the publisher discusses becoming a publicly traded company. It reaffirms that the employees of Devolver Digital are still the majority owners, and that it will use its newfound capital to continue investing in games. This includes ones they’re working on now, and those in the future.
Devolver Digital also confirmed the acquisition of Croteam (The Talos Principle), Dodge Roll (Enter the Gungeon), Nerial (Reigns), and FireFly Studios (theĀ StrongholdĀ series). All four studios will retain their creative autonomy.
Over the years since Devolver launched, the publisher has made a name for itself in backing interesting independent projects. Some big games of 2021, like Loop Hero andĀ Death’s Door, were published by Devolver Digital. And of course, you can’t forget some of its early hits likeĀ Hotline Miami.
It’ll be interesting to see how having Sony as an investor in Devolver Digital plays out. Hopefully they keep some of that Devolver spirit in the process, though. Their lot has been one of my favorite places to head to at E3.
