Paradox Interactive has announced via twitter and press release the acquisition of White Wolf Publishing from CCP Games on October 26. The purchase, a purely monetary arrangement with no stock transfers, positions White Wolf Publishing as an independent subsidiary with its own management and operations team headed up by former Paradox Executive Vice-President, now White Wolf CEO, Tobias Sjögren.
White Wolf Publishing has a long history in the gaming world, beginning life in the merger of White Wolf Magazine and Lion Rampant Games in 1991. One of the major players in the pen-and-paper RPG market of the 1990s, White Wolf’s World of Darkness product line has included traditional RPGs, books, Collectable Card Games (CCGs), PC Games including Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines, and even a TV show. This acquisition includes all of White Wolf’s brands and White Wolf Publishing is expected to pursue development opportunities in every aspect of the market. The purchase also includes all assets for unreleased White Wolf IP projects CCP has undertaken over the years.
Paradox CEO Fredrik Wester said in the press release:
“Like Paradox’s games, White Wolf’s properties have dedicated, passionate communities. While there are similarities in spirit, White Wolf’s IPs have very different themes than Paradox’s titles and deserve their own brand and team. We have great respect for White Wolf’s gaming worlds and see big opportunities for their expansion in the future under our new subsidiary.”
Other key members of the management teams involved were also quoted; Tobias Sjögren had this to say:
“Over the last 20 years, I’ve had the opportunity to work with beloved studios like DICE and Paradox on the business management side of games, and as a developer earlier in my career. I look forward to bringing my experience to bear as we pursue new ways to interact with White Wolf’s universes. The White Wolf IPs are well suited for all kinds of media and we see great potential to expand them in the future.”
Hilmar Veigar Pétursson, CEO of CCP Games, had his own comment on the acquisition:
“At CCP, we have great admiration for the White Wolf brands and communities, and it was extremely important to us that the acquiring company share the same respect and understanding. With Paradox, we know we are leaving the brands in good hands.”
In an additional statement on the White Wolf Publishing site, the new White Wolf team had a message for their loyal fans:
“25 years ago, Mark Rein-Hagen started it all with “Vampire: The Masquerade”, a bestselling roleplaying game about controversial subjects and the human condition, seen through the eyes of monsters. Since then, the World of Darkness has evolved into a vast universe of personal horror. Each title features a radical and contemporary re-interpretation of a classic creature from folklore or urban legend.
The franchise has spread over multiple media formats with cult digital game titles like “Bloodlines”, “Redemption” and “Hunter: The Reckoning”. Vampire: The Eternal Struggle, created by Richard Garfield in 1994, is the third collectible card game ever created. One of the first romantic vampire TV-series, “Kindred: The Embraced”, is loosely based on Vampire: The Masquerade. More than 7 million books and comics set in the World of Darkness have been sold.
Tonight, the original saga of monsters among us continues! On October the 26th 2015, Paradox Interactive acquired White Wolf Publishing and the World of Darkness. White Wolf is based in Stockholm, Sweden, with a brand new team and a focused vision. As a separate company owned by Paradox Interactive, White Wolf is dedicated to bringing its gritty and mature brand of participatory storytelling to fans new and old. This vision will be realized in multiple digital games titles, across a full range of media and immersive live-action events.
We have a deep respect and love for the fans and co-creators of the World of Darkness in all its various incarnations. We look forward to telling our stories and giving the fans everything they need to continue to tell theirs.
Our goal is to centralize all aspects of the universe to manage it with the love and care it deserves. We’re now focusing on re-evaluating our business relationships to make sure we’re working with the best creators, developers and artists on the planet!
The dark has a purpose. Join us!”
It is currently not known exactly how this will affect the World of Darkness. Scion, Exalted, and Trinity pen-and-paper lines being published under license by Onyx Path Publishing, though the message on the company’s twitter account was certainly positive. TMC has reached out to Rich Thomas of Onyx Path and will keep you updated if and when we hear back.
This article originally appeared on TheMittani.com, written by Arrendis.
