Icelandic games firm CCP has announced its intention to sell to South Korean company Pearl Abyss.
The Black Desert Online firm will be shelling out $425m for the Eve Online maker, which will maintain its operational independence after the deal goes through.
"I have been seriously impressed with what Pearl Abyss has achieved ever since I first visited their website for Black Desert Online and subsequently became an avid player of the game,” CCP boss Hilmar Veigar Pétursson (pictured) said.
“Pearl Abyss is a fast-growing company with lots to offer in terms of technology, capability and vision. I believe our two companies have a lot to learn from each other. We are very excited to join forces with them and achieve great new heights for our companies, our games and – above all - our players.”
CCP chair and Novator Partners rep Birgir Már Ragnarsson added: “As lead investor in CCP for over 13 years alongside General Catalyst and NEA, we’ve seen CCP go from being a few dozen people strong to employing hundreds all over the world, with an ever-increasing customer base and multiple titles. CEO Hilmar V. Pétursson and his dedicated team have built a company that Novator and its partners are proud to hand over to Pearl Abyss and we wish them the best of luck in their future ventures.”
Meanwhile, Pearl Abyss boss Robin Jung commented: “We are thrilled to have CCP Games join our team as Black Desert Online continues to branch out globally. CCP is a seasoned publisher with over 15 years of digital distribution experience and know-how. They have done an incredible job of engaging and maintaining their player base, which we aim to learn from and hope to integrate natively into Pearl Abyss’ general practices across all our games. I am confident CCP’s reputable IP and expertise in global publishing will help reaffirm our company’s dedication to developing and servicing the world’s best MMORPGs.”
Eve Online launched back in 2003, with CCP celebrating its own 15th birthday last year. The firm recently took the reigns for the Chinese server from Tiancity and handed them over to NetEase.
