VR publisher nDreams acquires Brighton-based immersive games studio Near Light

Near Light, a virtual reality games developer based out of Brighton, UK, has been acquired by the VR games publisher nDreams for an undisclosed sum.

Near Light was set up by its founding duo Paul Mottram and Ben Hebb in 2016. The founders have earlier expertise at games development studios Wide Games, Kuju Brighton and Zoë Mode, having contributed to blockbuster casual games designed for families to play along, like the competitive karaoke Singstar and guitar concert emulator Guitar Hero.

At Near Light, the developers have made a number of VR releases - including the escapism-themed Perfect VR where players can take daydreaming to the next level, through 360 immersive replicas of sun-drenched beaches, mountains and even the northern lights.

Following the acquisition, Near Light will become the first external studio in nDreams' publishing group, joining its internal subsidiaries nDreams Studio, nDreams Studio Elevation and nDream Studio Orbital.

The studio first started working alongside nDreams around five years ago, with nDreams having published the Perfect VR game and another immersive title called Shooty Fruity VR, as well as augmented reality for children's toys.

nDreams is headquartered in Farnborough, UK. It previously raised $35 million of funding from Aonic Group, a gaming studio hire and infrastructure company, in March 2022.

Some of its team was previously responsible for Far Cry: Dive Into Insanity, and have already published VR games such as the city simulator Little Cities since establishing their latest venture.

Paul Mottram, Near Light co-founder, said: "We’re really proud to be joining with nDreams and shaping the future of VR & AR games together, a new frontier with the opportunity to do things nobody has done before.

"Near Light is very much aligned with the philosophy of Patrick and nDreams in terms of how we want to make games and build teams. It feels like the ideal fit for us.”