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Black Desert Online developer to acquire EVE Online developer CCP

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The deal is worth all sorts of money and will impact hundreds of employees around the world.

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Pearl Abyss, the development studio responsible for the increasingly popular Black Desert Online MMORGP (and ancillary software), has announced plans to acquire CCP Games, creators of EVE Online.

According to a press release issued in the early morning hours to announce the move, CCP Games will operate independently as a developer with studios in Reykjavik, London and Shanghai. That development and publishing expertise will support Pearl Abyss as it proceeds with its current and future projects.

"We are thrilled to have CCP Games join our team as Black Desert Online continues to branch out globally," said Robin Jung, CEO at Pearl Abyss. "CCP is a seasoned publisher with over 15 years of digital distribution experience and know-how. They have done an incredible job of engaging and maintaining their playerbase, which we aim to learn from and hope to integrate natively into Pearl Abyss' general practices across all our games. I am confident CCP's reputable IP and expertise in global publishing will help reaffirm our company's dedication to developing and servicing the world's best MMORPGs."

The admiration apparently goes both ways, with CCP Games CEO Hilmar Veigar Pétursson having plenty of nice things to say.

"I have been seriously impressed with what Pearl Abyss has achieved ever since I first visited their website for Black Desert Online and subsequently became an avid player of the game," Pétursson remarked. "Pearl Abyss is a fast-growing company with lots to offer in terms of technology, capability and vision. I believe our two companies have a lot to learn from each other. We are very excited to join forces with them and achieve great new heights for our companies, our games and--above all--our players."

Deutsche Bank is serving as financial advisor to Pearl Abyss, with Kim & Chang providing legal counsel. On the CCP Games side of things, The Raine Group will offer financial advice and White & Case LLP and LOGOS are providing legal counsel.

Black Desert Online released in Korea in 2014, and rolled out in the rest of the world a few years later. It has been quite the success for Pearl Abyss, and was recently followed by the launch of Black Desert Mobile in Korea. The latter game will reach the rest of the world in 2019, and Pearl Abyss also seems to have ongoing plans for EVE Online. That particular title has been doing well for itself since launching way back in 2003.

Pearl Abyss made its initial public offering in 2017, and since then has been on the lookout for global IPs such as EVE Online that it can acquire through strategic investments and M&A activity. The CCP Games acquisition is bound to move a lot of money around, but from the sound of things, that doesn't rule out additional surprise announcements in the future, when the time is right.

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Staff article by Jason Venter (September 06, 2018)

Jason Venter has been playing games for 30 years, since discovering the Apple IIe version of Mario Bros. in his elementary school days. Now he writes about them, here at HonestGamers and also at other sites that agree to pay him for his words.

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