The French publisher has asked for assistance in restructuring its debt.
French publisher Nacon — which owns Aussie developer Big Ant Studios — has filed for insolvency, asking the French courts for assistance in restructuring its debts.
“In a video game sector marked by long investment cycles and significant transformations, on 20 February 2026, Nacon announced that the situation of its majority shareholder, Bigben Interactive, which, following an unexpected and late refusal by its banking pool, was unable to make the partial repayment of its bond loan to its bondholders, was significantly affecting its own operations,” Nacon said in a press release.
“The Company indicated on this occasion that its liquidity situation required the rapid implementation of a financial restructuring with its creditors in order to ensure the continuity of its operations, and that it was considering procedures intended to facilitate the restructuring of its debt under the supervision of the Court,” the release continued. “The aim of this procedure is to assess all possible solutions to ensure the sustainability of the Company’s activity under the best possible conditions, protect employees, and preserve jobs, while renegotiating with its creditors in a calm and constructive framework.”
While Nacon specifically references Bigben Interactive in its press release, it has a number of subsidiaries including Star Trek Voyager Across the Unknown publisher Daedalic Entertainment, alongside Crea-ture Studios, Eko Software, Ishtar Games, Kylotonn, and more.
The court is expected to make a decision on the matter in an early March hearing. If successful, a court approval means that Nacon’s liabilities will be frozen for a period of up to 18 months in order for a debt restructure plan to be put in place.
Nacon acquired Cricket 26, AFL 26, and Rugby League 26 maker Big Ant Studios in early 2021, in a deal worth €35 million. Big Ant and Nacon had previously teamed up for the likes of Tennis World Tour 2.
“We are delighted to join the Nacon group, a leading international player in the video game industry, driven by a vision and ambition that fully corresponds to our culture and development targets,” Big Ant CEO Ross Symons said at the time. “Joining the Nacon Group is a unique opportunity to significantly increase our production resources in order to create ever more qualitative games and to optimize our operations.”
As you can see from the video above, Nacon’s big Nacon Connect press event is scheduled for 5 March in Australia and will feature the likes of The Mound: Omen of Cthulhu and Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss, as well as Endurance Motorsport Series. It’s unclear what this situation means for those games at present, nor is it clear what this all means for Big Ant Studios. We’ll keep you posted as we learn more.
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