Harbottle & Lewis has advised the shareholders of Wushu Studios, the leading game development studio founded by Alan McDermott, on the sale of Wushu to Keywords Studios, an international provider of creative and technology-enabled solutions to the global video games and entertainment industries. Founded in 2017, Wushu provides a range of services to high profile publishers and developers to develop a range of high quality games.

Commenting on the deal, Alan McDermott said: “This is an exciting new chapter for Wushu. Joining Keywords allows us to maintain our creative independence while gaining access to a wealth of resources and expertise. It allows us to further enhance the services we offer our long-term clients with an extensive resource network and broad skillsets. Keywords shares our ambitions for continued growth, and their investment in Wushu will help us continue to remain faithful to our people-first approach to development. We look forward to collaborating with the broader Keywords network and taking on ever more ambitious projects in the future.”

Alan McDermott and the management team will remain with the business post-sale as they look to continue Wushu’s growth.

On working with us, Alan McDermott commented: “Harbottle’s team was exceptional throughout, guiding us with expertise and ensuring every step of the process was smooth. Their unwavering support and dedication made us feel like we were always their top priority.”

Our team was led by Tom Macleod (partner), Charlie Leveque (partner) and Katerina Capras (senior associate), with support from Elizabeth Compton (associate) and Anna Traherne (trainee). David Scott (partner) advised on corporate tax matters and Sarah Verrecchia (managing associate) advised on employment matters.