Demonicon - Kalypso Buys IP & Founds New Studio

A couple of days ago we reported that the development of Silver Style Entertainment's / TGC's RPG The Dark Eye: Demonicon has been secured despite TGC's insolvency because a top secret investor took over. Now the cat is out of the bag: Kalypso Media buys the Demonicon IP and some other stuff out of TGC's insolvency estate. More details can be found on GamesMarkt, for example (registration may be required).

Kalypso pursues quite an aggressive expansion strategy. Over the last few years they've bought the Jagged Alliance IP, pretty much the whole Ascaron back catalog (Patrician, Port Royal, Darkstar One) with the exception of Sacred, a small IP from Spellbound (Airline Tycoon) and now Demonicon, a browser game and the marketing rights for a couple of solid to good adventures (Simon the Sorcerer 5, Goin' Downtown, Everlight) from TGC. They've founded 3 internal studios and opened an office in the US.

The fact that Silver Style wasn't bought out while all remaining employees left probably spells the end for the studio. This means the German market lost no less than 3 of their oldest and most experienced studios within a bit more than a year. Sacred developer Ascaron (founded 1991) closed in July 2009. Then a few months ago Drakensang studio Radon Labs (founded 1995) went belly up. And now Silver Style (1993) will probably be liquidated with the TGC shell.

For once the story has a happy ending though:

Kalypso will found the Noumena Studios GmbH in Berlin to complete Demonicon. The remaining 17 Silver Style employees will find a new home there, and the staff ramped up to 35 until the end of the year.

And there is more. 4Players posted a few days ago that many other Silver Style developers opened a new studio, surprisingly named Silver Style Studios GmbH. The new company will concentrate on browser games. They plan to grow to 45 people this year.

A few months ago Bigpoint Berlin took over 30+ Radon Labs employees. They're also growing.

So the job market doesn't look too bad for game developers in Berlin now.

Thanks, Alrik.