Back in August, Logitech announced it was buying audio wizards Astro Gaming. This seemed like an odd move at the time, since Logitech already makes gaming headsets. However, the merger seems to have been beneficial to both companies so far, with Astro left to continue doing their own thing.
Thadeous Cooper, head of community at Astro Gaming, spoke with Player.One about the merger and what it’s like now that the dust has settled. He says the future has never looked as bright as it does now.
“There are so many more benefits than there are drawbacks to being part of Logitech. Their technology is on point, their resources are amazing and they’re really supportive of what we do,” Cooper said. “It’s great to be owned by somebody who’s really excited to see where the brand can go and wants to fund the decisions that we make. For me and my team, it’s been nothing but opportunities.”
Cooper says Astro has more or less been left to continue doing what they were doing before Logitech swooped in. “Logitech has a philosophy of buying brands that I love. They just let brands be their own brands,” he said, citing Ultimate Ears and Jaybird as examples of other companies Logitech has successfully merged with.
Down the line, Cooper speculates Astro wouldn’t be opposed to the idea of sharing technology between brands if it makes for a better product. “I can only guess if our products would benefit from their technology, we wouldn’t say no or shy away from that just to keep the two brands completely separate,” he said.
Logitech also hasn’t stepped in to force Astro to do something or stop a product in development. “They’ve been really great about allowing us ownership over Astro,” said Cooper. “They’ve never once sat us down and told us to make a certain product or said ‘you can’t make X because we already make X.’”
Over the course of his career, Cooper has been through multiple situations like this, and many of them haven’t been as smooth. “I’ve been through a few acquisitions and mergers and this is probably one of the better ones,” he said.
The joining of Astro and Logitech seems like a win for everyone involved, but the real winners will be gamers. Combining Astro’s technology with Logitech’s resources will mean more of the best headsets in gaming for years to come.
So what do you think? Are you interested in seeing the future of Astro under Logitech management? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
