Computer games localisation specialist Keywords Studios PLC (LON:KWS) has bought four of the leading businesses in France supplying similar services .
La Marque, Dune Sound, Asrec and Around the Word are all based in Paris and provide French audio recording and localisation services to the video games industry.
Localisation primarily comprises of translating computer games into the local language and adapting for cultural differences.
French and German are the two most important localised languages for games, said Keywords, and it will spend €1mln upgrading its existing recording studio in Paris and integrate the new businesses within that.
Total cost for the four is €6.6mln with a further €1mn payable depending on performance. The businesses have combined annual revenues of €9mln and profits of €900,000.
All but one of the six founders and shareholders are staying on, with Michel Golgevit, the founder of Dune, to be the chief executive of the combined companies.
Fulvio Sioli, Keywords Studios’ European managing director, said: "These acquisitions are an important milestone in the development of our Localisation and Audio Services business lines in Europe.
"While the trend for game developers and publishers to increasingly source all languages from a single provider is clear, some clients continue to want to transact separately for individual languages.
"This is still most prevalent for those regarded as pillar languages of which French is probably still the most important.
"The combination of La Marque Rose, Dune Sound, Around the Word and Asrec with our existing Keywords studio, gives us a leading share of this games production work. "
La Marque Rose was founded in 1989. Dune Sound (audio recording) and Around the Word (game localisation) are together the largest providers of French language video game localisation, while Asrec has been providing Keywords with French audio recording for the past four years.