Phoenix Games acquires Sad Panda
German games group picks up maker of multiplatform idle dating sim Crush Crush
Phoenix Games today announced that it has acquired Sad Panda Studios, the Canadian developer of the idle dating sim Crush Crush.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
"Sad Panda Studios impressed us from the very beginning," said Phoenix CEO Klaas Kersting. "Their games are full of energy, passion and experience. We see great potential in uplifting their titles and look forward to supporting the incredibly talented team with our proprietary Uplift Platform as well as operational knowhow."
Crush Crush is a free-to-play game that launched on Steam in 2016, and was later brought to mobile platforms before debuting on the Switch last year.
Beyond that, Sad Panda Games has also made the 2019 PC idle dating sim Blush Blush, and explored premium pricing earlier this year with the PC visual novel Hush Hush.
"We are very proud of what we achieved on our own," Sad Panda CEO Morgan Long said. "Now it is time for the next step and for this we need the right partner, which we have found with Phoenix Games."
Founded with the idea of acquiring small-to-midsize developers and boosting the reach and monetization of their games, Phoenix's portfolio of studios also includes SmileyGamer, Studio Firefly, Upright Games, Well Played Games, and Sixteen Tons Entertainment.