Slitherine rescues Blood Bowl video game franchise after Nacon collapse

Slitherine — publisher of Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector — has acquired the Blood Bowl video game licence, publishing rights, and back catalog from the collapsing Nacon. The studio also confirmed it will push forward with the next Blood Bowl game that Nacon had previously announced, and will continue working with long-time series developer Cyanide Studio to make it happen.

Nacon filed for insolvency back in February after its majority shareholder Bigben Interactive failed to make a loan repayment. The French publisher had 16 development studios under its roof, and its collapse threw the futures of multiple games into doubt — including GreedFall 2, Hell is Us, and Test Drive Unlimited. Slitherine's Director of Publishing Marco Minoli called Blood Bowl "one of the most iconic and distinctive strategy franchises in videogames" and said the studio is "genuinely honoured" to help shape its future alongside Cyanide. Cyanide CEO Patrick Pligersdorffer returned the compliment, calling Slitherine "a perfect match" given its track record with quality strategy titles. Slitherine also committed to ongoing support for the existing Blood Bowl games, with a stated focus on community feedback and long-term development.

Blood Bowl as a franchise stretches back to a Games Workshop tabletop original from the 1980s — a darkly comic mashup of American football and Warhammer fantasy violence. The video game series has been Cyanide's territory for years, but the most recent entry, Blood Bowl 3, landed in 2023 to a rough reception. It currently sits at a mixed user rating on Steam, and IGN scored it 5/10, describing it as "a sloppy, muddy, buggy rehash of a better game." Slitherine's involvement raises cautious optimism — Battlesector is a well-regarded Warhammer strategy title, and the studio has a reputation for treating niche wargame audiences seriously.

More details on the next Blood Bowl game are coming at the Slitherine Next Event on July 22. Given how badly Blood Bowl 3 landed, the community will be watching closely to see whether the new partnership can actually turn the series around.