The Saitek Group, have announced that it had appointed an adviser to oversee a potential sale
"This is an exciting time," said David Inwood, chief strategy officer at Saitek Group. "The Saitek brand has international resonance" With the computer games market growing rapidly and now estimated to be worth $30bn (£15.1bn) the demand for peripherals such as joysticks is increasing. Saitek has expanded, and the last financial year proved to be its best on record with sales reaching £30m.
Interest in the company increased after Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard announced that they were keen to expand their computer game peripherals businesses. That led to a number of approaches, which have, in turn, convinced Saitek's owner, Swiss-born technologist Eric Winkler, to cash in after 28 years.
Mr Winkler is expected to demand an asking price of about £25m, though some analysts have suggested the company may command a higher figure from buyers wanting to get hold of its lucrative distribution deals.
Saitek started out in 1979 by selling handheld electronic chess games from Hong Kong. Since then it has acquired 130 staff and has offices in the Britain, France, Germany, the US and Asia.