Nacon (formerly Bigben Interactive) is a French video game company based in
Lesquin
Lesquin () is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.
Population
Heraldry
Economy
When Flandre Air existed, it had its head office at Lille Airport and in Lesquin. On 30 March 2001 Flandre, Proteus Airlines, and Regional Airline ...
. It designs and distributes gaming accessories, and publishes and distributes video games for various platforms. In 2020 Bigben Group was consolidated to form Nacon. Bigben Interactive was established in 1981.
History
In 2001, the company reached an agreement with
Sega
is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game and entertainment company headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its international branches, Sega of America and Sega Europe, are headquartered in Irvine, California and London, r ...
to distribute the remaining stock of Sega's
Dreamcast
The is a home video game console released by Sega on November 27, 1998, in Japan; September 9, 1999, in North America; and October 14, 1999, in Europe. It was the first sixth-generation video game console, preceding Sony's PlayStation 2, N ...
consoles, accessories and software across Europe.
In December 2016, three years after
Atari
Atari () is a brand name that has been owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by French publisher Atari SA through a subsidiary named Atari Interactive. The original Atari, Inc. (1972–1992), Atari, Inc., ...
's initial bankruptcy sale, Atari sold the ''Test Drive'' franchise to Bigben Interactive. The ''V-Rally'' series was also sold to Bigben Interactive around this time without a formal announcement.
Through 2020, Bigben Interactive was subsidiary of the Bigben Group, which also oversaw Nacon, its video game accessory company. On 11 February 2020, the parent company announced they were merging Bigben Interactive and Nacon into a single entity to go as Nacon. In January 2021, Nacon announced that it had acquired Australian video game developer
Big Ant Studios
Big Ant Studios Pty Ltd is an Australian video game developer based in Melbourne. Founded in 2001 by chief executive officer Ross Symons, the company specialises in the development of sports games. Big Ant's games include ''Cricket 19'', ''Rug ...
. On 1 March 2021, video game developer
Frogwares
Frogwares is a Ukrainian video game developer, video game development studio headquartered in Kyiv with subsidiary offices in Dublin, Ireland. The studio and its subsidiaries develop adventure games for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows ...
alleged Nacon illegally hacked and published a pirated version of their game, ''
The Sinking City
''The Sinking City'' is an action-adventure game developed by Frogwares and inspired by the works of horror fiction author H. P. Lovecraft. Set in the fictional city of Oakmont, Massachusetts during the 1920s, the story follows private investiga ...
'', on
Steam
Steam is a substance containing water in the gas phase, and sometimes also an aerosol of liquid water droplets, or air. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization ...
in February 2021 during an ongoing distribution dispute between the two companies. In August 2021, Nacon acquired Crea-ture Studios.
In October 2021, Nacon acquired Ishtar Games.
In February 2022, Nacon acquired Midgar Studio.
Nacon announced its intent to acquire
Daedalic Entertainment
Daedalic Entertainment GmbH is a German video game developer and Video game publisher, publisher based in Hamburg. They are best known for developing point-and-click adventure games.
History
Daedalic Entertainment was founded on 1 March 2007 ...
for an estimated in February 2022, with the deal concluding in April 2022.
In May 2022 Nacon announced the formation of Nacon Studio Milan, encompassing its October 2020 acquisition RaceWard Studio,
as well as other yet to be named studios.
Studios
Games published
Under dispute
The rights for the following titles are disputed, with
Frogwares
Frogwares is a Ukrainian video game developer, video game development studio headquartered in Kyiv with subsidiary offices in Dublin, Ireland. The studio and its subsidiaries develop adventure games for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows ...
claiming Nacon only owns the distribution rights:
References
Further reading
External links
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* (corporate)
{{Authority control
Companies based in Hauts-de-France
French companies established in 1981
Video game companies established in 1981
Video game companies of France
Video game publishers
Companies listed on Euronext Paris
2020 initial public offerings