LIMBO Developer Buys Itself

Gamasutra has word that Playdead Studios, developer of LIMBO, has bought itself back from its investors -- a move that grants the studio greater financial and creative independence. The game was initially funded with help from the Danish government by company founders Arnt Jensen and Dino Patti, but investors were later brought in. Word is: "The founders of Playdead said that they were able to buy back the company due to the strong performance and success of Xbox Live Arcade and PC platformer Limbo."
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14.
 
Re: LIMBO Developer Buys Itself
Aug 31, 2011, 20:40
14.
Re: LIMBO Developer Buys Itself Aug 31, 2011, 20:40
Aug 31, 2011, 20:40
 
Parallax Abstraction wrote on Aug 31, 2011, 20:00:
Cutter wrote on Aug 31, 2011, 19:20:
How do you know? Are any of you privy to the actual terms of the deal? It's not like the banks would touch them, and even if they did it would be assuredly worse. I was 21 when I opened my first restaurant and I could have never done so without investors. It was a success they were well compensated as they deserved to be because otherwise it would have never happened. Unless you've ever been in business for yourself, and I mean a real business that requires real capital that most people can't afford themselves than you have no idea what you're talking about.

Pro tip: If they bought themselves back, it means their investors got paid. And they likely made a tidy profit on it. As they deserved to if they gave them the money when they needed it.

But whatever, being a childish douchebag is your schtick on here.

I don't see how your pro tip is relevant to what you've quoted.

Summary:
Crap about "greedy investors"
Someone explaining how investing works
You agree, but in the form of a pro tip, which is usually used to disagree/mock...
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13.
 
Re: LIMBO Developer Buys Itself
Aug 31, 2011, 20:00
13.
Re: LIMBO Developer Buys Itself Aug 31, 2011, 20:00
Aug 31, 2011, 20:00
 
Cutter wrote on Aug 31, 2011, 19:20:
How do you know? Are any of you privy to the actual terms of the deal? It's not like the banks would touch them, and even if they did it would be assuredly worse. I was 21 when I opened my first restaurant and I could have never done so without investors. It was a success they were well compensated as they deserved to be because otherwise it would have never happened. Unless you've ever been in business for yourself, and I mean a real business that requires real capital that most people can't afford themselves than you have no idea what you're talking about.

Pro tip: If they bought themselves back, it means their investors got paid. And they likely made a tidy profit on it. As they deserved to if they gave them the money when they needed it.

But whatever, being a childish douchebag is your schtick on here.
Parallax Abstraction
Twitch | YouTube | Podcast
Avatar 13614
12.
 
Re: LIMBO Developer Buys Itself
Aug 31, 2011, 19:20
12.
Re: LIMBO Developer Buys Itself Aug 31, 2011, 19:20
Aug 31, 2011, 19:20
 
How do you know? Are any of you privy to the actual terms of the deal? It's not like the banks would touch them, and even if they did it would be assuredly worse. I was 21 when I opened my first restaurant and I could have never done so without investors. It was a success they were well compensated as they deserved to be because otherwise it would have never happened. Unless you've ever been in business for yourself, and I mean a real business that requires real capital that most people can't afford themselves than you have no idea what you're talking about.
"The horse I bet on was so slow, the jockey kept a diary of the trip." - Henny Youngman
11.
 
Re: LIMBO Developer Buys Itself
Aug 31, 2011, 18:54
11.
Re: LIMBO Developer Buys Itself Aug 31, 2011, 18:54
Aug 31, 2011, 18:54
 
Cutter wrote on Aug 31, 2011, 16:38:
Parallax Abstraction wrote on Aug 31, 2011, 10:54:
Good for them! It's such a rare thing now when a company gets a chance to kick greedy investors to the curb. Very glad their success has put them back in charge of their own fate.

Greedy investors? Right. You mean the same ones which there would be no studio or game without them in the first place. Yes, how terribly selfish of them to allow some other people the chance to start their own business.

Yes, but at a premium to be sure.
Buy now pay later, does have it's downside: Interest.
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10.
 
Re: LIMBO Developer Buys Itself
Aug 31, 2011, 16:38
10.
Re: LIMBO Developer Buys Itself Aug 31, 2011, 16:38
Aug 31, 2011, 16:38
 
Parallax Abstraction wrote on Aug 31, 2011, 10:54:
Good for them! It's such a rare thing now when a company gets a chance to kick greedy investors to the curb. Very glad their success has put them back in charge of their own fate.

Greedy investors? Right. You mean the same ones which there would be no studio or game without them in the first place. Yes, how terribly selfish of them to allow some other people the chance to start their own business.
"The horse I bet on was so slow, the jockey kept a diary of the trip." - Henny Youngman
9.
 
Re: LIMBO Developer Buys Itself
Aug 31, 2011, 13:14
PHJF
 
9.
Re: LIMBO Developer Buys Itself Aug 31, 2011, 13:14
Aug 31, 2011, 13:14
 PHJF
 
I once bought myself.






What a ripoff.
Steam + PSN: PHJF
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8.
 
Re: LIMBO Developer Buys Itself
Aug 31, 2011, 13:10
Dev
8.
Re: LIMBO Developer Buys Itself Aug 31, 2011, 13:10
Aug 31, 2011, 13:10
Dev
 
Beamer wrote on Aug 31, 2011, 13:06:
This should be the goal of every small studio, so long as they do it when they have enough liquidity to not jeopardize themselves, and so long as they hire someone to do the beancounting the investors used to (with the big difference being that the beancounter is now in-house and an employee rather than someone that owns debt.) Best is if your beancounter is your president and someone with creative vision, but there aren't many out there proven to be good at both.

Either that or sell out your studio and IP to some big company and then leave and start another studio again. That route often offers better financial returns. It screws the fans usually since the big company often kills the IP by either abandoning it or by turning out crap sequels, but from a business point of view its often the better money making choice.

But like you said, I do hope they did this when they had enough liquidity to keep going. I wish them well, this is good news from a creativity standpoint.
7.
 
Re: LIMBO Developer Buys Itself
Aug 31, 2011, 13:10
7.
Re: LIMBO Developer Buys Itself Aug 31, 2011, 13:10
Aug 31, 2011, 13:10
 
LIMBO was an awesome game and it was hugely satisfying to work out some of the more difficult puzzles. And it's unusual in that its design makes it much less rewarding for those that like to search for solutions online, rewarding those that put in the effort. Loved it.

As for buying themselves out... if they managed to deliver LIMBO with external investors then I'm not sure their next release would have suffered, though having financial and creative independence is usually preferable.
"The price of freedom is eternal vigilance."
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6.
 
Re: LIMBO Developer Buys Itself
Aug 31, 2011, 13:06
6.
Re: LIMBO Developer Buys Itself Aug 31, 2011, 13:06
Aug 31, 2011, 13:06
 
This should be the goal of every small studio, so long as they do it when they have enough liquidity to not jeopardize themselves, and so long as they hire someone to do the beancounting the investors used to (with the big difference being that the beancounter is now in-house and an employee rather than someone that owns debt.) Best is if your beancounter is your president and someone with creative vision, but there aren't many out there proven to be good at both.
5.
 
Re: LIMBO Developer Buys Itself
Aug 31, 2011, 12:58
5.
Re: LIMBO Developer Buys Itself Aug 31, 2011, 12:58
Aug 31, 2011, 12:58
 
I wish I could buy myself and make me my slave.
4.
 
Re: LIMBO Developer Buys Itself
Aug 31, 2011, 12:42
4.
Re: LIMBO Developer Buys Itself Aug 31, 2011, 12:42
Aug 31, 2011, 12:42
 
I really enjoyed this game. Too bad there weren't more creepy crawlers.
3.
 
Re: LIMBO Developer Buys Itself
Aug 31, 2011, 11:19
3.
Re: LIMBO Developer Buys Itself Aug 31, 2011, 11:19
Aug 31, 2011, 11:19
 
eRe4s3r wrote on Aug 31, 2011, 11:13:
Buying yourself back offers more financial independence? Actually it costs your money, so it reduces your financial independence... just saying... now you are 100% dependent on your next game not tanking

I think they mean financial independence in that they now are entirely in control of how money is spend. And creative independence is more what they wanted I think. If their investors weren't trying to meddle in their creativity, they probably wouldn't have tried to buy themselves out. They've already demonstrated they know how to make games people want to buy and play and I'd wager their next project would be worse with investors at the helm who largely know nothing about creativity.
Parallax Abstraction
Twitch | YouTube | Podcast
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2.
 
Re: LIMBO Developer Buys Itself
Aug 31, 2011, 11:13
2.
Re: LIMBO Developer Buys Itself Aug 31, 2011, 11:13
Aug 31, 2011, 11:13
 
Buying yourself back offers more financial independence? Actually it costs your money, so it reduces your financial independence... just saying... now you are 100% dependent on your next game not tanking
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1.
 
Re: LIMBO Developer Buys Itself
Aug 31, 2011, 10:54
1.
Re: LIMBO Developer Buys Itself Aug 31, 2011, 10:54
Aug 31, 2011, 10:54
 
Good for them! It's such a rare thing now when a company gets a chance to kick greedy investors to the curb. Very glad their success has put them back in charge of their own fate.
Parallax Abstraction
Twitch | YouTube | Podcast
Avatar 13614
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