Zordix Group acquires Maximum Games

Swedish gaming distributor and publisher Zordix Group has announced the acquisition of Maximum Games, including its publishing label Modus Games. The deal is worth $42 million (USD) in upfront cash, with an estimated additional $30 million in further cash and shares. According to Zordix’s investor presentation concerning the purchase, Maximum Games’ position as an all-in-one studio made it an attractive acquisition target. 

“With Maximum Games on board, we are now equipped with an incredible infrastructure that has a history of proven success in all aspects of game publishing,” Matti Larsson, founder and CEO of Zordix, said in a statement. “The experience Maximum Games brings to the table enables us to scale tremendously, which of course means more exciting games on the horizon.”

For Christina Seelye, founder and CEO of Maximum Games, the acquisitions provides the company with an opportunity to grow its reach.

“By joining forces, both Maximum Games and Zordix significantly expand their capabilities and resources, laying the foundation for substantial global growth in the AA gaming space,” Seelye told GameDaily. “Modus will continue to seek out both independent and AA games and remains focused on publishing high quality, high caliber games in all genres.”

As part of the acquisition, Seelye will take on the role of COO at Zordix while continuing to serve as CEO of Maximum. She said that working with Zordix on the deal has felt natural due to the alignment of both companies’ goals of leading the AA publishing space.

Seelye said that Maximum and Zordix first worked together on last year’s Zordix-developed Overpass. The two teams got to know each other well during this collaboration, laying the foundation for this week’s acquisition.

“We also have a longstanding relationship with Just For Games who joined the Group in February,” Seelye added. “However, the deal didn’t become a conversation until early this year when we realized we were really striving to get to the same place in the market–and connected the dots that we could get there faster together.” 

Founded in 2009, Maximum Games has grown substantially as a publisher over the last decade. In 2018, the company launched Modus Games, a publishing arm dedicated to the indie space. It has helped release a number of hits, including Trine 4, Super Animal Royale, and Cris Tales. It also recently signed a deal with Reply Game Studios to publish action-RPG Soulstice sometime in 2022.

Seelye herself has gained recognition for empowering women in the games industry. Earlier this year, she joined the board of directors for both the Women Presidents’ Organization and the Women in Games International. Further, Modus has made it clear that it wants to be a force for good via initiatives like last year’s Games Giving Back charity.

Moving forward, it will be interesting to track how Zordix’s acquisition of Maximum impacts both companies, as well as the AA indie games space.