Pole to Win’s SIDE sub-brand has acquired interactive music and audio studio Vibe Avenue. The company will be rebranded as SIDE Montreal.

Vibe Avenue has previously worked on mobile games such as Star Trek: Fleet Command. PTW meanwhile is one of the industry’s foremost companies in the boutique-to-scale sector, providing services including localising, outsourcing and testing, with their SIDE sub-brand focusing on the audio services sector. Vibe Avenue are based in Montreal, Canada and parent company Pole to Win has its own office in the city already.

“At PTW, a key component to our growth strategy is bringing on best-in-class talent and continually expanding our service offerings - this acquisition checks both boxes,” said Deborah Kirkham, CEO of PTW. “Not only does Vibe Avenue have some of the best audio talent in the industry, but we can now offer clients new sound design capabilities we didn’t previously have. I look forward to welcoming everyone from Vibe Avenue into the PTW family as SIDE Montreal.”

Vibe Avenue was co-founded by Mathieu Lavoie and François-Xavier Dupas. “We’re thrilled to join an industry leader like PTW and add our talents to their audio division – this match brings together the best of both worlds, resources and scale alongside talent and new services,” said Lavoie. “I’m excited to see what sort of magic we can make together at SIDE for our clients,” continued Dupas.

Acquisitions and Mergers

The decision to acquire Vibe Avenue seems set to prove beneficial for both sides. For PTW it means that they have continued to strengthen their SIDE sub-brand, and for Vibe Avenue it shields the smaller studio from the effects of an uncertain market. With layoffs hitting parts of the game industry on virtually all platforms being acquired by a larger company can provide the funding and security required to go from strength to strength.

Focusing on maintaining your company’s personnel and culture go hand-in-hand as pointed out by Rise & Play’s Sophie Vo at Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki earlier this year. She said, “It is imperative to recognize that the key to successful integration lies in focusing on people, as they are the cornerstone of a company's value. Therefore, during an acquisition, prioritising attention on personnel is essential to optimising the likelihood of a successful integration.”