Virtual reality games studio nDreams has moved to acquire Brighton-based studio and long-time collaborator Near Light.
With a working relationship going back over five years, the firms said their aligned ambition to shape the future of VR and AR gaming make it 鈥榯he perfect partnership鈥�.
Near Light developed the nDreams published titles Shooty Fruity and Perfect, in addition to recently pioneering an AR experience for one of the world鈥檚 leading toy brands. The studio is currently developing an unannounced VR title to be published by nDreams.
Paul Mottram and Ben Hebb co-founded Near Light in 2016, having previously collaborated in key roles at Wide Games, Kuju Brighton, and Zo毛 Mode. The pair have worked on a number of innovative titles that championed new ways to play, including games in the EyeToy Play, SingStar and Guitar Hero series.
Near Light joins nDreams鈥� three existing development studios 鈥� nDreams Studio (based in Farnborough), nDreams Studio Elevation, and nDreams Studio Orbital (both fully remote) 鈥� and extends the nDreams family into the vibrant Brighton game development hub.
In March听Swedish VC Aonic invested 拢20m into nDreams, which had听appointed former Codemasters CEO Frank Sagnier as its non-executive chairman eight months earlier.
鈥淭o be making our debut acquisition is yet another incredibly exciting milestone for nDreams,鈥� said nDreams CEO Patrick O鈥橪uanaigh. 鈥淔or other development studios with whom we are similarly aligned on vision and strategy, there鈥檚 certainly potential for more acquisitions in our future.鈥�
Mottram added: 鈥淲e鈥檙e really proud to be joining with nDreams and shaping the future of VR and AR games together, a new frontier with the opportunity to do things nobody has done before.
鈥淣ear Light is very much aligned with the philosophy of Patrick and nDreams in terms of how we want to make games and build teams. It feels like the ideal fit for us.鈥�