A celebrated miniature fantasy wargame with a 20-year legacy is among the latest acquisitions for a leading Manchester-based tabletop games developer, thanks to legal support from North East law firm Mincoffs Solicitors.
Steamforged Games is known for adapting triple A video game titles into tabletop games, such as Dark Souls, Monster Hunter: World, Resident Evil and Horizon Zero Dawn, along with a series of award-winning own intellectual property (IP) games including Bardsung, Epic Encounters and Animal Adventures.
And the brand has further expanded its impressive library with the acquisition of the IP of Iron Kingdoms from US-based publisher Privateer Press, which includes the acclaimed wargame Warmachine, the Iron Kingdoms roleplaying series and the Formula P3 painting line.
Antony Hall, partner and head of commercial services at Mincoffs, and associate solicitor Jenny Wade worked closely with Steamforged founder and CEO Rich Loxam to structure, advise on and negotiate the deal.
This involved drafting and negotiating a suite of legal documents and working on the cross-border deal with New York counsel on US-specific intellectual property matters.
Rich said: “Mincoffs have been fantastic over the past eight years, supporting Steamforged’s growth as we’ve continued to expand our library of triple-A video game licence adaptations and acquire existing IP.
“Recently, they were key in helping us navigate the transnational acquisition of the Iron Kingdoms and Warmachine, a pivotal move for the business.”
Steamforged is also known for its popular crowdfunding campaigns for titles such as Horizon Forbidden West, Elden Ring and Euthia: Resurrected, with millions of pounds pledged by backers.
Antony and Jenny were delighted to support Steamforged on this latest acquisition.
“Steamforged is a longstanding client and we have supported Rich and the team as the business has grown over the last eight years,” Antony said.
“Steamforged’s track record in the tabletop game industry speaks for itself and their passion for the Iron Kingdoms universe puts them in the perfect position to take ownership of the brand going forward.”
Jenny said: “It was our pleasure to help deliver a successful result for the team and we look forward to working closely with Steamforged in the future as they continue to create and publish new concepts.”
Mincoffs Solicitors has provided expert legal services and advice across the North East and beyond for more than 75 years.
Alongside corporate and commercial services, the firm’s offering includes real estate, dispute resolution, employment law, licensing and gaming, residential conveyancing, family law and wills, probate and trusts.
