Native Instruments this morning issued a statement that its restructuring is moving along, including advancing insolvency proceedings and “an active M&A [mergers and acquisitions] process that is progressing well.” Translation for humans: there’s a good chance we’ll see NI acquired soon, and by some company or companies in the audio tech space.
As I reported earlier this year, Native Instruments GmbH has entered a preliminary insolvency, with an administrator assuming a restructuring process. What NI is signaling here is that this is onto the next phase, including more formal insolvency. That’s generally a good thing for customers, particularly if you take this statement at face value — they’re closer to finding a resolution:
We are currently in an active M&A process that is progressing well, with strong interest from multiple parties with deep roots in audio and technology. We see a clear path to achieve our goal to provide continuity for creators, customers, and partners.
This is an expected part of the process that should hopefully lead to a positive outcome for users of NI products, including Plugin Alliance and iZotope. It also sounds like this does not go to some upstart AI company or Nestlé S.A. or something — but this is as many of us expected, that interest was most likely to come from the same basic music and sound technology area (or at least as broad as whatever you take “audio and technology” to mean).
There’s not a lot more to say at this point, but this is generally a good sign.
It’s worth repeating that NI’s insolvency really says very little about the health of Native Instruments or even the industry. At its core, it’s about debt incurred during the private equity acquisition of NI, a sentiment echoed by Music Trades Editor Brian T. Majeski (see Synthtopia). NI is “the industry’s latest private equity casualty,” in his words. The good news is, while some of the existing corporate entities may be casualties, the products don’t have to be. And I hope the acquisition doesn’t claim too many employees, either — we’ll see.
Now, should we have other worries about the industry, or the disruption of AI, or a looming recession, or the state of the world generally and the safety of a lot of our friends? Yes, absolutely, but at least that’s another discussion.
Full statement at NI and reproduced below.
NI instructed the media that it would provide no further comment beyond the statement. That means all other thoughts here are my own personal speculation, not based on information from NI or those involved. Stay tuned.
*I mean, I would love to see a REAKTOR ice cream bar, all this said. That’s more like the MAGNUM brand, which is Unilever.
An update from Nick Williams, CEO of Native Instruments
I want to share a direct update on the restructuring process underway here at Native Instruments. Business continues as usual across Native Instruments, iZotope, Plugin Alliance, and Brainworx. Our products, platforms, services, downloads, and customer service remain fully available.
The support we are receiving from our partners, artists, and community has been extraordinary. This loyalty isn’t something we take for granted, and it’s a reflection of what Native Instruments means to the people and businesses we work with every day.
At the end of January I said: “We are working diligently and responsibly to secure a healthy, financially sustainable future for Native Instruments.” This remains true – and our determination to achieve a sustainable future is strengthened and energised by your support.
We are currently in an active M&A process that is progressing well, with strong interest from multiple parties with deep roots in audio and technology. We see a clear path to achieve our goal to provide continuity for creators, customers, and partners.
As part of the restructuring process, Native Instruments GmbH and a number of our German entities will shortly be moving through expected legal steps, including transitioning from “preliminary insolvency” into formal “insolvency” proceedings where applicable. These are expected steps in the process we are working through.
What gives me confidence in our future isn’t just the progress we’re making – it’s also the extraordinary passion and dedication of the entire team here at Native Instruments. We continue to deliver every day, building and shipping products, and looking after our customers.
We’ll continue to share significant updates as we have them.
https://blog.native-instruments.com/update-from-nick-williams-ceo-march-2026
Previously: