In a strategic move to expand its iGaming portfolio and grow its presence in digital markets, Scientific Games has acquired European-based game developer Elk Studios. This is the latest in the string of acquisitions by the US-based leading gaming content provider, following the takeover of slot developer Lightning Box and live casino provider, Authentic Gaming.

A mutually beneficial agreement

Acquiring ELK Studios is a significant step towards achieving the company’s vision of becoming the leading cross-platform global game company. Scientific Games is looking to enhance its position in the UK and European markets. At the same time, it hopes to introduce Elk Studios leading content into North American markets.

President and CEO of Scientific Games, Barry Cottle, said that this deal demonstrates once again the company’s commitment to making targeted, value-enhancing investments designed to advance their cross-platform content capabilities. He added: “The ELK Studios team is packed with talent and enhances our existing in-house teams and capabilities. The highly synergistic combination of their top-ranked games and our leading OpenGaming ecosystem offers exciting distribution opportunities in the US and Canada. I am thrilled to welcome them to our team.”

According to the agreement, ELK Studios will continue creating titles as an independent brand but will gain access to Scientific Games’ network of resources, market reach, game IP and data analytics tools.

Expressing excitement on the part of ELK Studios, Filip Säfbeck indicated that the deal was in perfect alignment with the brand’s ambitions to grow into the US and Canadian markets. “We have experienced first-hand through our OpenGaming partnership that Scientific Games can take our games to the next level. This acquisition offers us a solid base to bring to market a wide range of exciting new slots more smoothly than ever to online casino partners across the globe.”

The Stockholm-based content studio is the brains behind exciting online slots like Katmandu, Wild Toro II and Ecuador Gold. Their games are characterized by beautiful graphics and animations, groundbreaking math models and mobile compatibility. They are also notable for the innovative X-iter tool, which allows players to move in quickly on the action through a selection of special predefined modes.