Daedalic Entertainment
CompanyGermany
35 documents in the library are about Daedalic Entertainment, from writers such as Gamecity Hamburg, Nacon and Thomas Brush. Each has a summary and key insights with the page they come from.
- Articles
- 27
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Key figures from the reports
Gross margin improved significantly from 49.9% to 59.1% of sales, supported by a growing back catalogue and the integration of Daedalic Entertainment.
Nacon, 2023 · 2022/23 Full-Year Results, p. 1
Nacon acquired Hamburg-based developer and publisher Daedalic Entertainment for 53 million Euros on February 16, 2022.
Gamecity Hamburg · Nacon Buys Hamburg-based Developer and Publisher Daedalic
The €32 million acquisition of Daedalic Entertainment has expanded the company's development pipeline to 53 active projects.
Nacon, 2023 · Universal Registration Document 2022/23: Including the Annual Financial Report, p. 75
Net debt rose to 63.6 million euros, driven by the 34.1 million euro acquisition of Daedalic Entertainment and increased inventory costs resulting from the global electronic components crisis.
Nacon, 2022 · 2022-23 Half-Year Results Up, p. 2
Aggressive expansion efforts, including the acquisitions of Daedalic Entertainment, Big Ant, and Midgar, increased total goodwill to €146.1 million.
Nacon, 2022 · Interim Financial Report for the Six Months Ended 30 September 2022, p. 5
On Steam
Steam estimates as of 9 Oct 2026. Revenue is premium revenue on Steam only: game sales, without DLC.
- Revenue as publisher
- $229.7M
- 100 games
- Revenue as developer
- $83.3M
- 25 games
- Units sold
- 18.3M
- as publisher or developer
- Headquarters
- Germany
Daedalic Entertainment’s best-selling games on Steam
| Game | Released | Share of the best seller | Revenue | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BarotraumaPublisher | 2019 | $54.3M | 2.9M | |
| Shadow Tactics: Blades of the ShogunPublisher | 2016 | $26.8M | 1.2M | |
| DeponiaDeveloper and Publisher | 2012 | $10.8M | 1.5M | |
| Deponia: The Complete JourneyDeveloper and Publisher | 2014 | $10.4M | 607K | |
| Ken Follett's The Pillars of the EarthDeveloper and Publisher | 2017 | $7.2M | 490K | |
| BlackguardsDeveloper and Publisher | 2014 | $6.8M | 397K | |
| Unrailed!Publisher | 2019 | $6.3M | 595K | |
| Chaos on DeponiaDeveloper and Publisher | 2012 | $5.2M | 518K | |
| OrwellPublisher | 2016 | $4.8M | 769K | |
| The Dark Eye: Chains of SatinavDeveloper and Publisher | 2012 | $4.7M | 357K |
Documents about Daedalic Entertainment
Games Lift Incubator 2026: Gamecity Hamburg Supports Five New Games Startups
The Games Lift Incubator 2026, an initiative managed by Gamecity Hamburg on behalf of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, has selected five local game development startups to receive comprehensive professional support.
- Gamecity Hamburg has selected five startups for its 2026 Games Lift Incubator, providing each with 15,000 euros in funding and a one-year program of coaching, workshops, and networking.
- The 2026 incubator cohort consists of Neon Nest, Snap Shut Worlds, Sunderhold, Time Travel Train, and Witch Artisan.
- The incubator program is managed by Hamburg Kreativ Gesellschaft on behalf of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg to support the development of market-oriented games and sustainable business structures.
Gamecity Hamburg and Hamburg Game Studios at Gamescom 2024
Gamecity Hamburg facilitates the participation of five local indie studios at Gamescom 2024, held in Cologne from August 21 to 25.
- Gamecity Hamburg supported five local indie studios at Gamescom 2024, held in Cologne from August 21 to 25, by providing exhibition space at the Indie Arena Booth.
- The initiative is part of a 'Road to' program that provides delegation packages and professional workshops to help Hamburg-based developers secure networking and business opportunities.
- The five featured indie projects include Godcomplex Games (Stack 'Em Up), Markus Koepke (Journey Beyond the Edge of the World), Pipapo Games (Map Map - A Game About Maps), Slime King Games (Under the Island), and Sven Ahlgrimm and Mathilde Hoffmann (ODDADA).
Gollum Developers Finally Break Their Silence
Allegations of a toxic work environment at Daedalic Entertainment have emerged following the critical failure of the studio’s title, The Lord of the Rings: Gollum.
- Daedalic Entertainment’s failure of 'The Lord of the Rings: Gollum' resulted in the layoff of approximately 30 employees, representing one-third of the studio's 90-person workforce, and the cancellation of a planned sequel.
- The project suffered from a critical misalignment between its ambitious AAA marketing and a constrained development budget of approximately $15.9 million.
- Current and former employees reported a toxic work environment characterized by mismanagement and a culture of fear, allegedly driven by CEO Karsten Fichtelmann and COO Stephan Harms.
2022/23 Full-Year Results
NACON’s financial results for the 2022/23 fiscal year, ending March 31, 2023, reveal a period of strategic transition characterized by stable revenue and improved profitability despite a challenging macroeconomic environment.
- NACON achieved a 29.8% increase in operating income to €17.3 million for the 2022/23 fiscal year, despite total sales remaining flat at €156.0 million.
- The company’s profitability was driven by a shift in product mix, with gaming software sales surging 66.3% to €90.5 million, while accessories revenue fell 36.6% to €61.2 million due to console shortages.
- Gross margin improved significantly from 49.9% to 59.1% of sales, supported by a growing back catalogue and the integration of Daedalic Entertainment.
Universal Registration Document 2022/23: Including the Annual Financial Report
Nacon’s 2022/23 Universal Registration Document details the company’s strategic evolution into a vertically integrated developer and publisher of "AA" video games and premium gaming accessories.
- Nacon achieved €156.0 million in consolidated revenue for the 2022/23 fiscal year, balancing a 66.3% surge in video game sales against a 36.6% decline in the accessories segment.
- The company is aggressively pursuing vertical integration, having acquired 16 studios since 2019 and grown its workforce to over 1,000 employees to capture 100% of product value.
- Digital distribution now accounts for 80% of total game sales, contributing to a 25.5% increase in EBITDA to €48.9 million.
2022-23 Half-Year Results Up
Nacon reported a significant increase in profitability for the first half of the 2022-23 fiscal year, covering the period from April 1 to September 30, 2022.
- Nacon's net income surged 123.5% to 8.4 million euros for the first half of the 2022-23 fiscal year, supported by a 6.2% increase in total sales to 77.5 million euros.
- The publishing division drove financial performance with a 72.3% revenue increase to 47.0 million euros, bolstered by new titles like Steelrising and Session Skate Sim alongside a 33.3% rise in back-catalogue sales.
- A strategic shift toward higher-margin software publishing improved the company's gross margin to 61.4%, up from 52.1% in the previous year.
From Prototype Funding to a Publishing Deal: Tiny Roar and Daedalic Entertainment Partner for Wanderful
The Hamburg-based game developer Tiny Roar has secured a publishing agreement with Daedalic Entertainment for its upcoming title, Wanderful.
- Developer Tiny Roar secured a publishing deal with Daedalic Entertainment for their upcoming cozy worldbuilder, Wanderful.
- The project, originally titled HEXAGONE, received 80,000 € in prototype funding from Gamecity Hamburg earlier in 2022.
- Wanderful is a procedurally generated worldbuilding game designed for 5 to 30-minute play sessions.
Interim Financial Report for the Six Months Ended 30 September 2022
NACON experienced a period of significant structural transformation during the first half of the 2022/23 fiscal year, characterized by a strategic pivot toward software publishing to offset volatility in the hardware sector.
- NACON’s net income rose 123.5% to €8.4 million during the first half of the 2022/23 fiscal year, driven by a strategic shift toward higher-margin software publishing.
- Total revenue grew 6.2% to €77.5 million, as a 72.3% surge in video game sales successfully offset a 34.7% decline in the gaming accessories market.
- The company abandoned its €250 million full-year revenue target due to supply chain constraints affecting console availability and delays in the game release schedule.
25.8% Sales Growth in Q1 2022-2023 (42.4 M€): Confirmation of FY 2022-23 Targets
Nacon achieved significant revenue growth during the first quarter of the 2022-2023 fiscal year, reporting sales of 42.4 million euros.
- Nacon reported Q1 2022-2023 revenue of 42.4 million euros, a 25.8% increase year-over-year, confirming full-year targets of over 250 million euros in sales and 50 million euros in operating income.
- The video game publishing segment grew 126.2% to 27.6 million euros, driven by new releases like 'Vampire: The Masquerade - Swansong', annual sports franchises, and a 38.7% increase in back-catalogue revenue.
- The accessories division experienced a 31.8% decline in sales to 14.0 million euros, attributed to global console shortages, inventory adjustments, and a high year-over-year comparison base.
Universal Registration Document: Including the 2021/22 Annual Financial Report
Nacon’s 2021/22 Universal Registration Document details the company’s strategic evolution into a leading "AA" video game publisher and premium accessory manufacturer.
- Nacon’s 2021/22 revenue declined 12.3% to €155.9 million, with net income falling to €9.97 million due to the postponement of four major titles and hardware supply chain constraints.
- The company is aggressively pursuing vertical integration, having acquired 16 in-house studios—including Big Ant Studios and Daedalic Entertainment—to secure its position as a premium 'AA' publisher.
- Accessories remain the company's primary revenue driver, accounting for 62% of total sales, while digital channels now represent 73% of video game revenue.
FY 2021/22, a Transition Year
Nacon’s financial performance for the 2021/22 fiscal year reflects a strategic transition period characterized by a deliberate shift in release schedules and external expansion.
- Nacon projects a significant revenue increase to between €250 million and €300 million for the 2022/23 fiscal year, driven by a robust release pipeline and recent acquisitions.
- Total annual sales for FY 2021/22 fell 12.3% to €155.9 million, largely due to a 21.2% decline in the publishing segment following the postponement of major titles like Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong.
- The accessories division, Nacon's primary revenue driver at €96.6 million, experienced a 6.3% annual decline attributed to global console shortages and economic headwinds.
Neue Gesichter bei Daedelic: Germany
In November 2017, the Hamburg-based game developer Daedalic Entertainment announced a strategic expansion of its communications department to bolster its international market presence.
- In November 2017, Hamburg-based Daedalic Entertainment established a new five-person communications department to expand its international market presence.
- The department is led by Director of Communications Tim Krause-Murroni, who reports directly to CEO Carsten Fichtelmann.
- The team includes Sandra Hübner as Head of PR, Lisa Mallory overseeing social media, and marketing assistants Marie Müller and Mounir Aouina.