Corsair, known for its gaming-oriented PC hardware, has just acquired high end controller company SCUF Gaming. Once the transaction is finalized within the next month, SCUF will remain a separate brand, with its main office in Atlanta and satellite offices elsewhere continuing to operate, only now under the ownership of Corsair.
SCUF launched as a company in 2011 with a line of proprietary controllers with significantly higher functionality than the default console controllers made by Sony, Microsoft. This means a higher price point than most, if not all of their competitors, but ideally with the benefit of additional features not offered by competing products.
Some of the features added by SCUF to maximize the potential of what their controllers can do include redesigned layouts to shorten and improve hand movement capability, configurable components like control sticks and vibration functionality, and a unique control system allowing button presses to come from paddles attached to the back of their controllers, among other innovations and elements designed to improve controller functionality.
Discussing why Corsair decided to acquire SCUF, Andy Paul, the founder and CEO of Corsair, cited not only the quality of their controllers, but their prominence in the esports industry. SCUF is a licensed partner of the Call of Duty franchise, and the official controller partner of a multitude of pro gaming leagues, including but not limited to the NBA 2k games and eMLS, the FIFA games league. Likewise, in the press release announcing the acquisition, Duncan Ironmonger, the founder and CEO of SCUF Gaming also highlighted SCUF's intent to market its products to professional gamers, and compared the success and prominence of Corsair's PC products to their own console peripherals.
Corsair is a considerably older company than SCUF, having been founded in 1994. Among the sorts of PC peripherals that light up with pulsing neon lights, Corsair is one of the most prominent brands. Corsair too is invested in the esports industry, sponsoring a number of teams across a variety of leagues. As the esports industry grows, as does the gamers' desire for higher end gear to mimic professional play, Corsair will ultimately have a bigger stake in that market thanks to its acquisition of SCUF.
Source: Corsair