The GN Group has announced the acquisition of SteelSeries. The group is the spin-off of a Danish company founded nearly 150 years ago. Still based in Copenhagen, its portfolio includes audio, noise cancellation and hearing loss solutions with the brands Jabra, BlueParrott and Beltone. So it has just added SteelSeries to its audio and peripheral product line.
The acquisition is said to be worth $1.2 billion. GN CEO Rene Svendsen-Tune said that SteelSeries will continue to operate under the same identity and brand. GN Group is no stranger to the world of audio innovation. It was one of the first companies to use 2.4 GHz technology in hearing aids. It is also the originator of the world’s first professional active noise cancelling headphones. SteelSeries, on the other hand, is expected to retain its current management team and organizational structure as an independent business unit of the GN Group. Despite the image of a historical brand in the market, SteelSeries is also a Danish brand, founded ( only ) in 2001 by Jacob Wolff-Petersen (also known as “JWP”) who was a young entrepreneur and avid Counter-Strike player in Copenhagen. Keep in mind that the CS franchise was still in its infancy in 2001 (Counter Strike was created in 2000).
The agreement, which was just made official on October 6, will be effective within the next year, provided it is approved by the regulators.
