Team17 acquires simulation kings Astrogen Entertainment

All aboard

Legendary British outfit Team17 announced that it has acquired publisher Astrogen Entertainment. The Dusseldorf-based company was reportedly purchased for €75 million (or roughly $86 million USD), with a further consideration of €25m (or roughly $28 million), should performance targets be met.

To the average video game fan, that might seem like a lot of moolah for what appears to be an unknown entity, but Astrogen is the key publisher and distributor of the games in developer GIANTS’ simulation series. Titles such as Farming Simulator, Bus Simulator, Construction Simulator, and the upcoming Firefighting Simulator might be the nichest of the niche, but have been proven best-selling brand for many years — with Farming Simulator alone having sowed over 25 million copies.

“Our goal is to become the number one brand in the field of ‘working’ simulation games,” said Astragon CEOs Julia Pfiffer and Tim Schmitz. “Collaborating with Team17 will enable and help Astragon to evolve and focus on this strategy. We look forward to the possibilities that are opened up by working with what we believe to be a great partner to deliver our ambitions.”

Astrogen Entertainment is the latest in a number of recent purchases performed by Team17. The Worms developer also recently opened its wallet to acquire U.S.-based indie publisher The Label, as well as the IP for Black Matter’s World War II shooter Hell Let Loose. Clearly, Team17 is on something of a shopping spree. Astrogen will continue to operate as a separate entity under the Team17 umbrella and will work with its new partner to produce new titles while continuing its simulation line.