Do you want to know what’s next for the gaming industry? Join gaming executives to discuss emerging parts of the industry at GamesBeat Summit Next in October. Register today.
Scopely has acquired the Stumble Guys Battle Royale game from Kitka Games as the game industry continues to consolidate.
Culver City, California-based Scopely, best known for its Star Trek: Fleet Command mobile game, is acquiring the battle royale party game with 20 million daily active players. It adds to its stable of socially driven and sustainable game franchises.
The Finnish Kitka Games managed to make the game a hit with a team of just nine people. Scopely said Stumble Guys will expand the company’s reach into new genres, demographics and markets.
“We are delighted that so many players have embraced the fun of ‘Stumble Guys’ and built highly engaged communities around the world that interact with the game,” said Olli Lantinen, CEO of Kitka Games, in a statement. “As a small game studio, our heart is in the development process and we were looking for the right partner to take ‘Stumble Guys’ to the next level. Scopely immediately stood out as the right home for our beloved experience, as we believe they will provide the infrastructure and creativity to help realize the game’s full potential, deepening and growing the community for years to come.”
Scopely has not disclosed the purchase price.
“‘Stumble Guys’ is one of the most social multiplayer and highly engaging experiences we’ve seen in a long time, with over 1 billion hours of gameplay to date,” said Tim O’Brien, chief revenue officer at Scopely, in a statement. declaration. “Kitka Games has created a vibrant, fun game that connects people of all ages around the world and serves as an engaging digital playground that players enjoy every day. With community at its core, ‘Stumble Guys’ embodies our strategic approach to investing in, creating and performing live games that resonate with players over the long term, and we look forward to continuing to nurture and expand the experience players love.”
The acquisition of Stumble Guys follows years of transformative growth for Scopely, now one of the largest privately held independent game companies with market-leading experiences across many genres.
In addition to the Star Trek title, Scopely also owns Marvel Strike Force, Scrabble Go, and WWE Champions. As a top 10 mobile publisher (data.ai’s 2022 ranking), Scopely said its success is driven by its unique approach to live-operating gaming experiences, its proprietary Playgami technology platform, and proven track record of fostering engaged player communities.
Stumble Guys embodies an emerging genre that caters to a mobile-first audience. The game offers fast-paced multiplayer gameplay; social mechanics that make playing with friends easy; a wide variety of challenging levels; personalized and expressive collectibles, skins, emotes, and player avatars; findable rewards; and more.
In an email to GamesBeat, O’Brien said Scopely is still finalizing plans on whether or not to hire Kitka employees. He said the game was created by a very small team, and one of the reasons they were so excited to partner with Scopely is that it involves a larger team, publishing infrastructure, technology and more to bring the experience to expand further.
When asked why the company is buying this game, O’Brien said. “At Scopely, we are focused on delivering deep, social experiences that players can enjoy every day and for years to come. We are constantly looking for opportunities and experiences to invest in, create and/or live exploit that resonate with players in the long term – and Stumble Guys fits this mission perfectly. The game’s unique depth and active community of over 20 million daily players caught our eye with over 1 billion hours of gameplay in 2022 alone.”
The GamesBeat credo when talking about the game industry, is ‘where passion and business meet’. What does this mean? We want to tell you how important news is to you — not just as a decision maker in a game studio, but also as a game fan. Whether you’re reading our articles, listening to our podcasts, or watching our videos, GamesBeat helps you learn and have fun with the industry. Discover our briefings.
0 Comments