Supercell has acquired UK studio Space Ape Games after increasing its stake in the London outfit.
As reported by GamesIndustry.biz, Supercell already owned a majority stake in the Beatstar and Transformers: Earth Wars developer.
The Clash of Clans maker sunk $37 million into Space Ape Games in 2022, taking its stake in the studio to 75 percent. Prior to that, it invested $56.6 million into the studio.
Supercell is owned by Tencent, which holds stakes in major companies such as Remedy, Techland, FromSoftware, and Epic Games. It wholly-owns other notable studios including Riot Games, Funcom, and Sumo Group.
Supercell CEO Ilkka Paananen indicated the Space Ape acquisition will make the company more agile and efficient. “We believe the best teams create the best games, so we are really excited to find our place within London’s incredibly talented games ecosystem by joining forces with Space Ape,” he said.
“This move will bring in amazing new colleagues and make our games teams even stronger. With the best talent globally, we move faster on our mission of creating great games that as many people as possible play for years and that are remembered forever.”
Space Ape CEO John Earner indicated the move was a natural evolution of the existing partnership between both companies. “We’ve loved working closely with Supercell for many years, and this move is the next stage in that partnership,” he said. “I am so proud of Space Ape’s contribution to the gaming industry over the last twelve years. I am looking forward to this next step in our evolution as part of the Supercell team.”