What Happened to Native Instruments in 2026: Insolvency, the inMusic Takeover and the Brand Split

Native Instruments continued operating during the insolvency proceedings in 2026. The former group was divided between three owners: Native Instruments went to inMusic, iZotope to Boris FX, and Plugin Alliance and Brainworx to Dirk Ulrich’s RCKFRC group. The change of ownership did not mean that all products stopped working.

This chronology covers the events up to September 2026, with sources checked on 25 October 2026. Announcements, completed sales and promises about future support are distinguished below.

How the group came together

Francisco Partners invested in Native Instruments in January 2021. In March, Native Instruments and iZotope announced a joint group. In April 2022, Native Instruments introduced the Soundwide name and presented Plugin Alliance, Brainworx and Sound Stacks as additional members. That announcement date does not establish when each purchase legally took effect.

In 2023, the group replaced the Soundwide name with Native Instruments. The company explained that the Native Instruments name was better known. The brands had therefore already worked together before the 2026 sale.

A cleared purchase that did not happen

On 4 December 2025, the European Commission approved the proposed joint acquisition by Bridgepoint and Bain Capital Credit. Approval meant that competition law did not block that transaction; it did not prove that the buyers completed the purchase. Gleiss Lutz, the law firm advising inMusic on the later acquisition, reports that the planned takeover by the lenders fell through before the January insolvency filings.

January to May: proceedings and search for buyers

Torsten Martini acted as provisional insolvency administrator from January 2026. Under Section 21 of the German Insolvency Code, the court can protect a company’s assets while deciding whether to open proceedings. This stage neither automatically closes a business nor guarantees continued operation.

In the statement dated 29 January, chief executive Nick Williams said that sales, downloads and activation continued. The statement also confirmed continued processing of Kontakt Player licences for other developers. This was the company’s account of operations at that time.

According to the administrator’s firm GÖRG, the court opened proceedings for the principal German companies in March, April and May. There was therefore no single opening date for the entire group. On 8 May, inMusic announced a signed purchase agreement. The announcement still made completion subject to conditions.

June and July: three separate owners

Boris FX reports that inMusic completed the acquisition on 30 June. GÖRG describes the sale as effective from 1 July. These dates describe completion and legal effect, rather than two separate takeovers. Boris FX announced the iZotope purchase on 2 July; that announcement date should not be presented as the date ownership first changed.

The Plugin Alliance founder’s letter gives 15 July in its first section and 14 July in a later update. “Mid-July” avoids claiming certainty about a date that the source itself gives inconsistently.

What the later records show

The UK register records Richard Seymour’s appointment as director on 1 July and Nick Williams’s departure on 29 July. A director change does not, by itself, establish an office closure or the number of jobs lost. Reports based on anonymous sources cannot provide a confirmed staff total.

Product development continued: the official Kontakt changelog dates version 8.13.0 to 3 September 2026. Improvements included the instrument list and level meters. This release is evidence of work on Kontakt, not a promise about the lifetime of every product.

Licences and existing projects

The acquisition statements promised continuity. Native Instruments said existing licences were unaffected; Boris FX said iZotope licences and subscriptions remained active; Plugin Alliance confirmed continued licences, subscriptions and activation services. These statements concern the transition. They do not guarantee indefinite updates, compatibility with every future operating system or permanently available activation servers.

Installation depends on the product and purchase route. Native Access handles many NI products and licensed third-party Kontakt libraries. Plugin Alliance confirmed continued use of its Installation Manager. Ownership alone does not determine the account or application needed for every licence.