Plug In Digital starts a new growth strategy with the acquisition of Celsius Online development studio

The French video game distribution and publishing company Plug In Digital, experts in premium games for PC, console and mobile, has accelerated its development with Celsius Online, specialists in free-to-play games.

French video game distributor and publisher Plug In Digital today announce the acquisition of Celsius Online development studio. Since the successful fundraising and the entry of Bridgepoint Development into its capital since the end of 2021, Plug In Digital has continued growing and now deploys an external acquisition strategy to reach new markets and strengthen its position. The integration of Celsius Online, whose founder joins the main shareholders, is the first major operation in the establishment of a new group.

Two complementary skills

For 11 years, Plug In Digital has become a key player in the video game industry, in France and worldwide. Founded in 2012 by Francis Ingrand, the company first specialized in distribution and business development for publishers and independent video game studios. Then, it took a position in publishing by launching two labels: Dear Villagers (The Forgotten City, The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk, Foretales) and PID Games (Alba: a wildlife adventure, Paper Beast, Skabma – Snowfall). With an average annual growth of 52%, the company now supports over 400 industry players and its catalog consists of more than 150 published titles on all platforms combined.

On the other hand, the independent French studio Celsius Online, created in 2004 by Lévan Sardjevéladzé, is one of the pioneers of free-to-play games, on the web and on mobile. It found success with its first online RPG, Renaissance Kingdoms, which has become a great classic of the genre. Without any capital increase or debt raising, the studio then developed an undeniable know-how in GaaS (Game as a Service) as well as developing titles for major partners such as MasterChef: Let’s Cook, which became an Apple Arcade hit. Celsius Online is currently completing its upcoming cross-platform game, Mutants: Genesis, expected to launch in 2023.

This merger with Plug In Digital clearly demonstrates the development ambition of the studio.

About Plug In Digital

Plug In Digital supports hundreds of partners, from indie studios to AAA Publishers, to optimize their digital sales and explore and grow new revenue sources for their games on PC, Cloud, Console & Mobile.

About Dear Villagers

Dear Villagers is a publishing label of Plug In Digital. It’s a place where talented studios can unleash their creativity and focus on bringing unique single player experiences to players on PC and console, experiences that will stay with them long after the credits roll. Dear Villager’s lineup includes the award-winning The Forgotten City, The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk, ScourgeBringer and Edge Of Eternity.