nDreams acquires long-term development partner Near Light

Brighton studio with strong VR/AR pedigree is first acquisition for the  world-leading VR developer and publisher

Farnborough, United Kingdom, 20 December 2022 – nDreams, the leading developer and publisher of VR games, has today announced its acquisition of Brighton studio and long-time collaborator, Near Light. With a working relationship between the two companies going back 5+ years, the alignment between nDreams and Near Light and their ambition to shape the future of VR and AR gaming make it the perfect partnership.

Near Light developed the nDreams-published Perfect and Shooty Fruity VR titles, in addition to recently pioneering an AR experience for one of the world’s leading toy brands. The studio is currently developing an unannounced VR title to be published by nDreams. 

Paul Mottram and Ben Hebb co-founded Near Light in 2016, having previously collaborated in key roles at Wide Games, Kuju Brighton and Zoë Mode. The pair previously worked on a number of innovative titles that championed new ways to play, including games in the EyeToy Play, SingStar and Guitar Hero series.

Near Light joins nDreams’ three existing development studios – nDreams Studio (based in Farnborough), nDreams Studio Elevation, and nDreams Studio Orbital (both fully-remote) – and extends the family into the vibrant game development hub that is Brighton. 

Following the $35 million investment in nDreams by the Aonic Group, the publisher is accelerating its investments in both internal development and third-party publishing. This deal, nDreams’ first acquisition, is another sign of the company’s rapid and ambitious expansion.

“We are hugely excited to be deepening nDreams’ relationship with Near Light after many years of fruitful partnerships,” said nDreams CDO, Tom Gillo. “Acquiring the studio will allow us to collaborate even more closely on medium-defining games, not to mention bringing Ben and Paul’s 20+ years of industry experience into the nDreams family to strengthen our own expertise.”

“To be making our debut acquisition is yet another incredibly exciting milestone for nDreams,” added nDreams CEO, Patrick O’Luanaigh. “For other development studios with whom we are similarly aligned on vision and strategy, there’s certainly potential for more acquisitions in our future.”

Working alongside nDreams following this deal will certainly feel familiar to the Near Light team, but closer ties between the two developers will also offer exciting new opportunities. 

“We’re really proud to be joining with nDreams and shaping the future of VR & AR games together, a new frontier with the opportunity to do things nobody has done before,” said Near Light co-founder Paul Mottram. “Near Light is very much aligned with the philosophy of Patrick and nDreams in terms of how we want to make games and build teams. It feels like the ideal fit for us.”

“Going all the way back to Perfect and Shooty Fruity, our collaborations with nDreams have been really enjoyable,” added Ben Hebb, co-founder of Near Light. “The feeling of working on great projects with a group of people you get on with is a special, unique thing and an absolute privilege. We’re thrilled to be working with nDreams to create titles that leave a powerful legacy.”

nDreams is developing a number of exciting games across its studios, as well as working with developers worldwide to publish VR titles of all genres. Learn more: https://ndreams.com.

ABOUT nDREAMS:
nDreams is a world-leading VR game developer and publisher headquartered in Farnborough, UK. They are the team behind hit titles Phantom: Covert Ops, Far Cry: Dive Into Insanity and Fracked, as well as publishing innovative VR games developed by the brightest indie talents including the cosy smash hit, Little Cities.
Fully dedicated to VR games since 2013, no publisher has greater virtual reality experience and specialism. With the acquisition of Near Light, nDreams is now comprised of five internal development teams, across four studios: the original nDreams Studio, nDreams Studio Elevation, nDreams Studio Orbital and now Near Light.

With a $35 million investment from the Aonic Group in March 2022 and several exciting projects in development across our teams – including Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord – there’s never been a better time to join this fast-growing publisher defining the present and future of VR games.

ABOUT NEAR LIGHT:
Near Light is the Brighton, UK-based VR and AR game development studio behind Perfect, Shooty Fruity and more. Acquired by nDreams in December 2022, it is the first external developer to join the publisher’s family of studios. 

Led by co-founders Paul Mottram and Ben Hebb, who have spent more than 20 years collaborating on game development and leadership, the studio draws on experience of partnerships with the likes of Sony, Disney, Activision, Microsoft and SEGA across a variety of gaming genres.

Founded in 2016, Near Light is on a mission alongside nDreams to create groundbreaking VR and AR titles that will be remembered for years to come.