Koch Media
Koch Media GmbH is a German-Austrian media company headquartered in Höfen, Tyrol, Austria, with an operating subsidiary based in Planegg, Germany. The company was founded in 1994 by Franz Koch and Klemens Kundratitz. The company operates video game publishing labels Deep Silver and Ravenscourt, the video game developers Warhorse Studios and Milestone, as well as a film distribution arm, Koch Films. Koch Media's parent company, Koch Media Holding, was acquired by Swedish holding company Embracer Group (then known as THQ Nordic AB) in February 2018.
Subsidiary | |
Industry | Mass media |
Founded | 1994 |
Founders |
|
Headquarters | , Austria |
Key people | |
Number of employees | 800 (2018) |
Parent | Koch Media Holding GmbH (2000–present) |
Divisions | |
Subsidiaries |
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Website | kochmedia.com |
History
Early history (1994–2015)
Koch Media was founded in 1994 by Franz Koch and his business partner, Klemens Kundratitz to market and distribute software.[3][4][5] Koch Media operated out of offices in Germany and Austria, while a regional subsidiary, Koch Media Ltd., was opened in England.[6] In 1995, Koch Media sold more than 250,000 software licenses, and in 1996, the company began distributing video games.[6] Another regional subsidiary, Koch Media AG, was formed in Switzerland in 1998.[6] A holding company, Koch Media Holding, was established in 2000 to unite Koch Media's business areas.[6] The same year, Koch Media srl was formed as a regional subsidiary for Italy.[6]
In 2002, Koch Media established Deep Silver as a video game publishing division.[7] A film division, Koch Home Entertainment, was announced in June 2003 and formally formed in early October.[8][9] A game label for mass-market games, Fantastic.tv, was announced in November 2003.[10] In October 2005, Koch Media acquired French distributor SG Diffusion, which had recently signed with NCsoft to distribute their game Guild Wars.[11][12] SG Diffusion was renamed Koch Media SAS in January 2006.[13] In February 2006, they established Koch Media Licensing GmbH as their license holding subsidiary.[14] Another game label, named Spielen wir (lit. "Let's Play"), was created in July 2008 to publish casual games under.[15] The same month, Koch Media acquired Proein, the Spanish distribution arm of SCi Entertainment, to undisclosed terms.[16] Proein was renamed Koch Media S.L.U. in January 2009.[17] Regional offices for Scandinavian and Benelux countries, operated by the England subsidiary, were opened in February and July that year, respectively.[18][19] In March 2012, Koch Media had 250 employees.[20] Another game publishing label, focusing on simulation games, was announced in March 2015.[21] In August 2015, Koch Media Licensing GmbH was renamed Koch Films GmbH and absorbed the operations of the former Koch Home Entertainment division.[22]
Under Embracer Group (2018–present)
On 14 February 2018, Koch Media Holding was acquired by THQ Nordic AB (later known as Embracer Group), a Swedish video game holding company.[2] The purchase agreement was signed at 8:00 AM, and the deal was announced that same day.[2][23] The deal comprised a purchase price of €91.5 million, split into €66 million in cash paid at closure of the deal (which was expected to occur later on the same day), €9.5 million in stock to be paid by 15 June 2018, and another €16 million in cash to be paid by 14 August 2018.[1] The total consideration for Koch Media's share capital amounted to €121 million on a cash and debt-free basis.[1]
Koch and Kundratitz had owned 90% and 10% in the company, respectively, and both of them sold their shares, and THQ Nordic AB became the sole owner of the company.[2] According to manager Reinhard Gratl, the sale primarily came about because Koch wanted to retire, and no one in his family was interested in taking over the business.[2] He asked for all money to be paid to Koch Media instead of him, so the company could profit from the deal.[2] Koch resigned from Koch Media on the same day.[2] Koch Media's management, consisting of chief executive officer Kundratitz, chief financial officer Gratl and chief operating officer Stefan Kapelari, was subsequently joined by THQ Nordic AB's Erik Stenberg.[2]
On 13 February 2019, Koch Media entered into an agreement to acquire Czech developer Warhorse Studios. Warhorse's game Kingdom Come: Deliverance had been co-published by Deep Silver exactly one year prior, and Koch Media paid €42.8 million, equal to Warhorse's 2018 earnings, to seize ownership over the studio and its intellectual property.[24] The acquisition closed later that day.[25] Also on the same day, it was announced that Koch Media had also acquired 18point2, an Australian publishing partner, for €1.9 million, aiming at establishing a stronger presence in the Australian market for Koch Media.[26][27] The two acquisitions added 120 and 8 employees, respectively, to Koch Media's staff.[28][29]
In June 2019, THQ Nordic AB acquired KSM GmbH, a German distributor of anime films, from its founder and chief executive officer (CEO), Benjamin Krause.[30] KSM is to be merged into Koch Films.[30] Also acquired was Gaya Entertainment, a merchandise production company; Nordic Games Group, a holding company controlled by THQ Nordic AB CEO Lars Wingefors, sold the subsidiary to THQ Nordic AB for €1 at the end of the latter's first fiscal quarter of 2019.[30] Gaya Entertainment is to be consolidated with Koch Media's operations.[30] On 14 August 2019, Koch Media agreed to fully acquire racing game developer Milestone srl and all of its intellectual property for €44.9 million paid in cash.[31][32] The acquisition was completed later that day.[33]
The Koch Films group, via Embracer, acquired Sola Media, a Stuttgart, Germany-based television-and-film licenser for children and family properties, in August 2020.[34][35]
Offices
As of February 2018, Koch Media is headquartered in Höfen, a municipality with a population of roughly 1,200 people that is located in Austria's Tyrol region and close to Bavaria, Germany.[2][36] In Höfen, Koch Media occupies an office complex in which the company employs 150 people in various departments.[2][36] The property, as well as an adjacent 7,000 square metres (75,000 sq ft) plot, is owned by Embracer Group.[2] In Planegg, a municipality in Bavaria that is located close to Munich, Koch Media operates a subsidiary branch also called Koch Media GmbH.[36] Worldwide, Koch Media employs 800 people.[2][36]
Subsidiaries
Division | Studio | Location | Founded/Acquired | Defunct | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
18Point2 | Sydney | February 2019 | [37] | ||
Deep Silver | Dambuster Studios | Nottingham | July 2014 | [38] | |
Deep Silver Vienna | Vienna | August 2007 | February 2010 | [39][40] | |
Fishlabs | Hamburg | December 2013 | [41] | ||
Volition | Champaign | January 2013 | [42] | ||
Warhorse Studios | Prague | February 2019 | [43] | ||
Gaya Entertainment | Langenfeld | August 2019 | [44] | ||
Koch Films | KSM | Planegg | December 2019 | [45][46] | |
Sola Media | Stuttgart | August 2020 | [34] | ||
Milestone | Milan | August 2019 | [47] | ||
Ravenscourt | Voxler | Paris / Marseille | February 2020 | [48] |
References
- "THQ Nordic AB (publ) acquires Koch Media" (PDF). Embracer Group. 14 February 2018.
- Mittermayr, Helmut (15 February 2018). "David kauft Goliath: Koch Media geht an Schweden". Tiroler Tageszeitung. Archived from the original on 2 February 2019. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
- Hall, Charlie (8 August 2014). "Meet the strategic mind behind publisher Deep Silver, Homefront's new owner". Polygon. Archived from the original on 2 February 2019. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
- Sarkar, Samit (7 July 2014). "Deep Silver parent company Koch Media: 'We are not for sale'". Polygon. Archived from the original on 3 February 2019. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
- "Koch Media | Unternehmen" (in German). Retrieved 27 December 2019.
- "History – Company". Koch Media. Archived from the original on 14 March 2016.
- Steininger, Stefan (12 November 2002). "Koch Media etabliert neues Label für Games". beta.gamesmarkt.de. Archived from the original on 16 May 2019. Retrieved 16 May 2019.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 15 February 2019. Retrieved 14 February 2019.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 14 February 2019. Retrieved 14 February 2019.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 15 February 2019. Retrieved 14 February 2019.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- "Koch Media acquires French distributor SG Diffusion". GamesIndustry.biz. Archived from the original on 14 February 2019. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
- Jenkins, David. "Gamasutra - The Art & Business of Making Games". www.gamasutra.com. Archived from the original on 14 February 2019. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
- "Koch Media kauft franzöischen Spiele-Distributor". www.channelpartner.de. Archived from the original on 15 February 2019. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
- "Koch Media erweitert Entertainmentbusiness". beta.gamesmarkt.de. Archived from the original on 15 February 2019. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
- ""Spielen wir": Koch Media mit neuem Casual-Label". beta.gamesmarkt.de. Archived from the original on 15 February 2019. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
- "SCi sells Spanish distribution business to Koch". GamesIndustry.biz. Archived from the original on 15 February 2019. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
- "Koch Media Spain". GamesIndustry.biz. Archived from the original on 15 February 2019. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 15 February 2019. Retrieved 14 February 2019.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- Parfitt, Ben (13 July 2009). "Koch Media expands East" – via www.mcvuk.com.
- Sacco, Dominic (8 March 2012). "Games distributor profiles" – via www.mcvuk.com.
- Bækkelund, Morten (25 March 2015). "Koch Media hit by simulation fever!". Gamereactor. Archived from the original on 2 February 2019. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 14 February 2019. Retrieved 14 February 2019.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- Arif, Shabana (14 February 2018). "THQ Nordic Buys Saints Row, Metro, Dead Island Owner, Koch Media". IGN. Archived from the original on 10 July 2018. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
- "Koch Media kauft "Kingdom Come"-Studio Warhorse Studios". GamesWirtschaft. 13 February 2019. Archived from the original on 13 February 2019. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
- Wingefors, Lars (13 February 2019). "THQ Nordic completes the acquisition Warhorse Studios". Cision. Archived from the original on 14 August 2019. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
- Kerr, Chris (13 February 2019). "Australian publishing partner 18Point2 acquired by THQ Nordic". Gamasutra. Archived from the original on 14 February 2019. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
- Handrahan, Matthew (13 February 2019). "THQ Nordic buys Australian publisher 18Point2". GamesIndustry.biz. Archived from the original on 15 February 2019. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
- "THQ Nordic AB (publ) acquires Warhorse Studios" (PDF). Embracer Group. 13 February 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 September 2019. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
- "THQ Nordic AB (publ) acquires 18POINT2". Embracer Group. 13 February 2019.
- "THQ NORDIC AB (PUBL) REG NO.: 556582-6558 INTERIM REPORT 1 • 1 APRIL – 30 JUNE 2019" (PDF). Cision. 14 August 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 August 2019. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
- Blake, Vikki (14 August 2019). "Koch Media to acquire Milestone and all IPs, including MotoGP and Supercross". MCV.
- Romano, Sal (14 August 2019). "THQ Nordic acquires Milestone S.r.l". Gematsu. Archived from the original on 14 August 2019. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
- Wingefors, Lars (14 August 2019). "THQ Nordic completes the acquisition of Milestone". Cision.
- Kerr, Chris (13 August 2020). "THQ parent company Embracer has purchased Metro dev 4A Games and others". Gamasutra. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
- "Embracer Group Acquires Sola Media" (Press release). Embracer Group. 13 August 2020. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
- "Analyse: Was THQ Nordic mit Koch Media vor hat". GamesWirtschaft. 15 February 2018. Archived from the original on 2 February 2019. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
- Kerr, Chris. "Australian publishing partner 18Point2 acquired by THQ Nordic". www.gamasutra.com. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
- Futter, Mike. "[Update] Deep Silver Buys Homefront, UK Staff To Transfer To New Dambuster Studio, Crytek USA Scaled Back". Game Informer. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
- "Koch acquires Games That Matter". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
- "Koch closes Deep Silver Vienna studio". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
- Corriea, Alexa Ray (2 December 2013). "Galaxy on Fire developer Fishlabs purchased by Koch Media". Polygon. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
- "Deep Silver confirms acquisition of Saints Row, Metro and Volition". Engadget. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
- James, Sarah (13 February 2019). "THQ Nordic acquire Kingdom Come: Deliverance makers Warhorse Studios". PC Gamer. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
- "Koch Media acquires Gaya Entertainment as it continues rapid expansion of both its reach and breadth of services". MCV/DEVELOP. 23 August 2019. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
- Blaney2019-08-16T11:06:00+01:00, Martin. "Koch Films acquires German indie distributor KSM". Screen. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
- "Über Koch Films - - Koch Media Film". www.kochmedia-film.de. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
- "THQ Nordic completes the acquisition of Milestone". News Powered by Cision. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
- "Koch Media acquires Let's Sing! developer, Voxler | Business News". MCV/DEVELOP. 19 February 2020. Retrieved 8 May 2020.