nDreams Acquires Near Light

We're extremely excited to announce our acquisition of Brighton-based studio and long-time collaborator, Near Light. With a working relationship going back over five years, the alignment between nDreams and Near Light and our ambition to shape the future of VR and AR gaming make this the perfect partnership.

Near Light developed the nDreams published titles Shooty Fruity and Perfect, 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 have 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 nDreams family into the vibrant game development hub that is Brighton.

Following the $35 million investment in nDreams by the Aonic Group at the start of the year, we're accelerating our investments in both internal development and third-party publishing. This deal, our first acquisition, is a result of our ambitious expansion and our faith in VR's future.

“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.”

“We’re really proud to be joining with nDreams and shaping the future of VR and 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."