Thanks to the financial success of its first game, Limbo, developer Playdead Studios has bought itself back from its investors -- a move that grants the studio greater financial and creative independence.
The announcement came from investment bank GP Bullhound, which advised the sale. Playdead is now solely owned by its founders and management.
The founders of Playdead said that they were able to buy back the company due to the strong performance and success of Xbox Live Arcade and PC platformer Limbo.
Limbo was initially funded solely by founders Arnt Jensen and Dino Patti, with help from the Danish government. Investors were later brought in to help expand on the original concept. Gamasutra has contacted Playdead for comment on the buyback.
Playdead revealed earlier this week that it will be developing its next title using the Unity platform, noting that the decision was in aid of cutting down on the amount of work needed.
While I still think Limbo was a highly over-rated game, I'm still happy for the guys and their success. I look forward to seeing what they do with their new freedoms.
I met one of the lead developers at PAX 2009. Really nice guy. We were discussing the game, obviously before it's release. I bought the game day 1 because I wanted to support them. I'm glad I did and I'm glad to hear this news. I want to support these smaller players. I'm sick of Activision and EA ruining the industry.
