Dublin's Keywords Studios has snapped up a Hollywood gaming firm in its latest deal
The billion-euro business has added Blindsight to its portfolio for up to $10 million.
DUBLIN-BASED KEYWORDS STUDIOS has scooped up a Hollywood video game production company in a deal worth up to $10 million.
The deal will see Keywords Studios, which is valued at nearly €1.3 billion on the London Stock Exchange, pay a combination of cash and shares for the business with a deferred payment of up to $4.8 million based on performance.
Blindlight, founded in 2001 in Los Angeles, carries out a number of services for the games industry, including voiceover production, rights management, sound design and motion capture.
The company recruits celebrities to collaborate with games developer to provide voiceovers or include their images in games. Its clients include Sony Interactive Entertainment and Ubisoft.
The US company had earnings of $1 million a year over a three-year period to the end of 2017.
Acquisition spree
Keywords Studios has been on an acquisition spree of late, buying up several companies to bolster its growth.
Two of its most recent acquisitions included music services firm Cord Worldwide and Laced Music.
Keywords Studios was founded in Ireland in 1998 and specialises in translation and localisation services, modifying games for different markets.
It now plans to grow into a much larger games company, incorporating game artwork development, voiceover production and customer support.
The company has acquired more than 30 companies in its bid to grow its business and it now boasts facilities in 40 countries across Asia, the Americas and Europe. It had an average of more than 3,000 staff on its books last year.
Chief executive Andrew Day told Fora last year that there is “no end in sight to the acquisitions” and the business was targeting €300 million in revenue next year.
