French publisher and hardware manufacturer Nacon has filed for insolvency, after Bigben Interactive, the majority shareholder in the company, failed to make a partial lone repayment. This appears to have caused a knock on effect that has led the company to declare that its "available assets do not allow it to meet its due liabilities." (via IGN).
While the news will be worrying for fans of games published under its umbrella, it's also concerning for its hardware wing. Nacon designs and manufactures a variety of hardware peripherals, including controllers, headsets, microphones, and more recently, racing wheels.
With debt organisation considerations now requested [PDF], it certainly seems likely that Nacon will be forced to look at what it can and cannot afford to keep. And while its game publishing endeavours look to have been reasonably successful, a question hangs over the viability of many of its wide-ranging hardware efforts.
For our part, we've reviewed a fair number of Nacon controllers (and various other accessories) in recent years, and haven't always been blown away by the results.
The Nacon Rig M2 Streamstar microphone and Rig 900 Max HS gaming headset failed to impress me personally, although other efforts, like the Nacon Revolution X Unlimited, have faired slightly better.
I also got a chance to test out a pre-release version of its recent Revosim RS racing efforts last year, and while there was plenty I liked about the direct drive wheel and pedal combo, I couldn't shake the feeling that it was a slightly-too-early demonstration of something that was a fair way from being ready to come to market.
It remains to be seen what happens next with the company, though it is trying to stay positive about the recent move. It says of the insolvency: "This procedure will enable the Company to continue its business, renegotiate its debts, and develop a credible and effective continuation plan."
While Nacon hasn't always knocked it out of the park, its hardware efforts have made for some interesting, and occasionally unique, additions to the hardware pot. So let's hope that continuation plan sticks.
