Rock star indie publisher Devolver Digital might be about to go public. That’s according to The Telegraph (via GameWorldObserver), which recently reported that bankers from Zeus Capital have evaluated the company at £1 billion ($1.4 billion) for the London Stock Exchange.
Devolver Digital has yet to make an official statement about its intentions, but sources say that they plan to go public before the end of 2021. Much of that massive valuation is based on the success of Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout, which sold 8.2 million copies on PC by the end of its first month of sales.
Founded in 2009 and headquartered in Austin, Texas, Devolver Digital has cultivated a unique reputation in the games industry by publishing titles like Shadow Warrior, Serious Sam, Hotline Miami, Hatoful Boyfriend, Enter the Gungeon, Genital Jousting, and Metal Wolf Chaos XD. These games are all certainly cool, but also don't take themselves too seriously--an image that Devolver also portrays in its presentations at game conferences.
Related: The Shadow Warrior Series Sees Huge Cuts With Latest Steam Sale
Devolver's latest games include Olija and Loop Hero, a game that sold 500,000 copies in its first week. Although not nearly as huge a success as Fall Guys, half a million in sales is certainly profitable for both Devolver and its indie developer, Four Quarters, serving as a perfect example of how Devolver's business model works. Small successes most of the time, and every once in a while, something like Fall Guys comes along…
Devolver's upcoming titles include Shadow Warrior 3, the latest entry into the incredibly over-the-top Shadow Warrior franchise, as well as Weird West and The Talos Principle 2. Shadow Warrior 3 is due out later this year on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
While it's great to hear of Devolver's success, you gotta worry about what a public offering might mean for the company. Can Devolver maintain its rock star image with a corporate board of directors calling the shots?