UK indie publishing label Team17 has bought the Golf With Your Friends IP.
The company says that it has snapped up the rights and assets for the multiplayer title for £12 million ($16.4 million) from Australian developer Blacklight Interactive. £9 million ($12.3 million) of this is being paid out straight away, with the other £3 million ($4.1 million). One might expect Team17 to buy the IP's creator, too, but for whatever reason this isn't the case.
The title was published by Team17 in 2019 following an Early Access release in 2016. The company reckons that Golf With Your Friends has 5.5 million users.
"2020 is definitely a year we will not forget in a hurry and also provides insights into the challenges we can expect as a workforce in 2021. Whilst the Board and I are very pleased with the financial results we are even more pleased with the resilience and dedication shown by our Teamsters and Label partners to deliver, launch and sell the complex games we made in 2020," Team17 CEO Debbie Bestwick (pictured) said.
"Many of our games are local co-op and online play and we added cross-play to some of our titles alongside numerous quality of life and gaming enhancement updates across our back catalogue. We achieved this under the ever-changing global restrictions and we should not underestimate the support and passion for the games we create.
"We are also delighted to start 2021 with the announcement that we have acquired GWYF and see great potential in this IP. Over the last two years, GWYF has shown strong consumer demand and mass-market appeal, doubling its owner base and achieving success on multiple gaming platforms. GWYF is the type of IP we believe is right for ownership, it is successful and proven but still at the start of its journey. The team at Blacklight Interactive can be assured that we will take great care of this amazing IP."
12 months ago, Team17 snapped up developer Yippee Entertainment.