Ubisoft has announced the acquisition of the development studio Nadeo, creator of TrackMania, the popular multiplayer car racing video game.

"The acquisition of Nadeo is an important step in our expansion within the online gaming sector", said Yves Guillemot, chief executive officer of Ubisoft. "Through Nadeo, Ubisoft will gain an expert team, one of the best online technologies around as well as a flagship multiplayer game that enjoys an unrivalled reputation among a loyal and committed community. We are excited about the idea of introducing TrackMania to an ever-wider audience and sharing the expertise of Nadeo's teams with our company's other developers.”

Established in Paris in 2000 and comprising a highly talented team of developers, the Nadeo studio has won acclaim for the quality of its multiplayer technology which offers one of the best available online gaming experiences and has already signed up 10 million registered players. Its flagship game – TrackMania – has 700,000 unique players a month and is a pioneer in the sharing of content.