Also of interest is the cost of purchasing System Shock 2 and Freedom Force developer Irrational Games, which is put at $4.2 million in cash and $2.0 million of restricted stock, with other deferred considerations pushing the possible final price over $10 million, depending on performance.
It is also revealed that Top Spin developer Indie Built was purchased from Microsoft for $18.5 million in cash, a specific sum not hitherto mentioned. The company's relatively little-reported acquisition of the French firm Gaia Capital Group, believed to related to Power and Magic Development, developer of tennis title Top Spin, was also reported, for $5.7 million as well as $4.5 million in previously paid advances.
In addition, although not technically part of the companys financial year, the cost of acquiring Civilization IV developer Firaxis was put at $26.7 million, composed of $12.5 million of restricted common stock and $0.86 million in cash. A significant $11.3 million of the total was in the form of contingent considerations based on future product sales, however.
The companys largest purchase of the year, though, was the acquisition of developer Visual Concepts and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Kush Games, from Sega. A purchase price of $27.8 million in cash and various other costs added up to a final price of just over $32.2 million, showcasing the acquisition spending spree that the company has been on of late as it seeks to diversify.
One other notable payment was the renegotiation of a $6 million charge due upon delivery of the final PC version of Duke Nukem Forever back in March 2005. The epic delay of 3D Realms' shooter has meant that $4.25 million of the final milestone payment has already been paid, alongside the promise of a final $500,000 upon the commercial release of Duke Nukem Forever prior to December 31, 2006.
