Everyone seems to be buying a mechanical keyboard company these days. Corsair has one-upped them all by buying its own mechanical keyboard company. The Fremont, California-based peripheral maker today announced that it’s acquiring “certain assets” from Drop for an undisclosed, all-cash deal.

“Drop has been acquired by Corsair,” Drop CEO Jef Holove wrote in a blog post confirming the news. “I am sure front-of-mind for you is what this will mean for Drop and our focus on our discerning, engaged enthusiast community – especially at a time when we’ve been watching other players in the community struggle or outright fold. Obviously, we are convinced this move is good for us, for you and for the hobby, and I’ll give you a sense of why here.”

The executive called the Portland-based company “small but mighty,” relative to a product portfolio that includes several keyboards, keycaps and audio accessories. Mechanical keyboards are the company’s bread and butter, and it makes fine hardware. I’ve been using the Drop Shift keyboard now for several months. The firm is also notable for high-profile branding exercises that include keycaps featuring Lord of the Rings and Marvel IP.

“Personalized Keyboards that can be modified by the consumer is one of the fastest growing trends in the gaming peripheral space,” Corsair CEO Andy Paul said in a release. “Drop has proven to be one of the leaders in this space and with Corsair’s global footprint, we expect to significantly grow the Drop brand worldwide. We are also excited to be able to offer specialized Corsair and Elgato products to the enthusiast community that Drop is engaged with.”

Corsair purchased Elgato’s gaming division back in 2018 and continues to release products with that branding. The company has several mechanical keyboards of its own and will continue to operate Drop as its own brand.

“Being a part of Corsair will help our team deliver more of what you love. You’ll see new products from us soon that Corsair is just as excited about as we were in creating them. You’ll see new collabs with community favorites,” says Holove. “Access to a world class supply chain will make getting you those products more reliable. With a global logistics capability behind us, we’ll also be able to do a fundamentally better job serving all of you outside the US who just want an easier, more affordable way to get the products you covet.”

https://techcrunch.com/2023/07/17/corsair-is-buying-mechanical-keyboard-maker-drop/