Slitherine Gets Blood Bowl Video Game License From Struggling Nacon – WGB
Slitherine, the mastermind behind games like Panzer Corps 2 and Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector, has announced that it has acquired the Blood Bowl video game license, copyright and back catalog from Nacon.
In case you need a reminder, Nacon is currently experiencing major issues. Nacon’s troubles began at the top of parent company Bigben Interactive, which defaulted on a €43 million bond after its banks refused to repay the money. That dwindling cash flow pushed Nacon into bankruptcy.
Several Nacon subsidiaries also had to file for bankruptcy, namely Cyanide, Spider, Nacon Tech and Kylotonn.
Unfortunately, Spiders was discontinued in April following the release of Greedfall 2.
Which brings us to Slitherine, who managed to reach an agreement with Nacon (and therefore possibly Games Workshop, the ultimate owners of Warhammer) to acquire the Blood Bowl game license, copyright and catalog.
“Blood Bowl is one of the brightest and most unique tactics in video games, and we’re truly honored to help shape its future alongside Cyanide and Warhammer,” said Marco Minoli, Director of Publishing at Slitherine.
Speaking to GameIndustry.biz, Minoli clarified that they are not involved in Cyanide: “We don’t take ownership of Cyanide, but we get a long-term development agreement with them. Our only goal is to ensure the complete, long-term continuity of the game’s development.”
“From day one, our visions for the future of Blood Bowl were completely aligned. We backed that up with a very competitive commercial proposal that met their financial goals,” Minoli told GameIndustry.biz. “Of course there were other players at the table, but we were completely focused on our pitch, and we’re happy that our shared vision came to fruition.”
In short, Cyanide will continue to develop the upcoming Blood Bowl game. Called Warhammer Blood Bowl, it was announced by Nacon and Cyanide earlier this year as a new mode based on the latest tabletop rules. Available digitally on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and PC, existing owners of Blood Bowl 3 get it for free.
The new deal means that Slitherine will act as the publisher instead of Nacon. There’s no word on what the future might hold if Cyanide also goes under, or whether Slitherine will continue to allow Cyanide to develop future Blood Bowl games.
Speculatively, this could be the first step in a possible acquisition if Nacon decides to sell Cyanide in an attempt to save itself. It would certainly fit the latest Slitherine expansion drive. In 2024, the strategic publisher acquired Battlefront, the studio behind the long-running Combat Mission series, explaining the move as part of its commitment to continuously expand the wargaming market. Since then, the company has continued to grow its catalog and profile, making Blood Bowl another notable addition to its strong strategy.
