Sumo snapped up in race to go global

One of the UK's biggest videogame developers, Sumo Digital of Sheffield, has been snapped up by a private investment company.
Sonic and Sega All Stars Racing by Sumo DigitalSonic and Sega All Stars Racing by Sumo Digital
Sonic and Sega All Stars Racing by Sumo Digital

Perwyn wants to support the firm on its path to becoming a ‘worldwide leader in video game development and at the heart of the burgeoning UK marketplace’.

Sumo, based at Jessops Riverside, Brightside, employs 350 and has studios in Nottingham and Pune, India. It was sold by private equity firm NorthEdge Capital.

Car Cavers, Sumo CEO and co-founderCar Cavers, Sumo CEO and co-founder
Car Cavers, Sumo CEO and co-founder
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Working in partnership with top-tier publishers, including Sony and Microsoft, the business has produced games including Little Big Planet 3, Forza Horizon 2 (Xbox 360) and Disney Infinity 3.0, which have sold millions of copies worldwide.

Sumo is working on Crackdown 3 with Microsoft and was recently announced as Koch Media’s partner on Dead Island 2.

Carl Cavers, CEO and co-founder at Sumo Digital, said: “It is an exciting time for us. We operate in a high- growth, global market and the pace of technological development and the changing ways in which users consume video games present a great opportunity for the business.

“We are delighted to have Perwyn working alongside us as we embark on the next stage of our journey.

Car Cavers, Sumo CEO and co-founderCar Cavers, Sumo CEO and co-founder
Car Cavers, Sumo CEO and co-founder
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“They have demonstrated a deep understanding of Sumo, our culture and the market in which we operate and we look forward to partnering with them.”

Andrew Wynn, partner at Perwyn, said: “We believe there are significant opportunities for Sumo as a leading independent games developer in a growing, global marketplace including the potential to apply the team’s substantial creative and technical capabilities to new titles and IP development.

“Perwyn has been particularly impressed with Sumo’s deep, long-standing customer partnerships through which it is able to add significant value to publisher IP.”

In November 2014, NorthEdge supported the management team, led by CEO Carl Cavers, in acquiring the business from US based Foundation9. Since then Sumo has hired 110 staff.