Ubisoft has announced the acquisition of the development studio Nadeo, creator of the TrackMania series of arcade racing games.

Set up in 2000 in Paris, the Nadeo studio has won acclaim for the quality of its multiplayer technology which has already notched up 10 million registered players. Its flagship game - TrackMania - has 700,000 unique players a month, with community members having created almost 15 million custom tracks since 2008. It is also the first eSport franchise for racing games.

"The acquisition of Nadeo is an important step in our expansion within the on-line gaming sector", said Yves Guillemot, Chief Executive Officer of Ubisoft. “Through Nadeo, Ubisoft will gain an expert team, one of the best on-line technologies around as well as a flagship multiplayer game that enjoys an unrivalled reputation among a loyal and committed community. We are excited about the idea of introducing TrackMania to an ever-wider audience and sharing the expertise of Nadeo's teams with our Group's other developers”.

"Joining Ubisoft is a huge opportunity for us to develop and innovate and take Nadeo to new horizons", said Florent Castelnérac, Chief Executive Officer of Nadeo. “Nadeo’s team was keen for this acquisition to happen. Like players in a community, we see ourselves as being a complementary fit with Ubisoft and believe that we can share and quickly move ahead together".