By Sagar V. Mankar Supercell, the Finnish gaming powerhouse behind popular games like Clash of Clans, Brawl Stars, and Clash Royale, has officially acquired London-based studio Space Ape Games. This acquisition strengthens Supercell’s presence in the mobile gaming industry and will also mark the opening of its first office in the UK.
Supercell has been a long-time investor in Space Ape Games. Since 2022, the company has invested over $80 million, increasing its stake in the London studio to 75%. With this latest move, Supercell now fully owns Space Ape Games.
Space Ape Games is known for its successful mobile titles, including Beatstar, a popular musical game, and Transformers: Earth Wars, a strategy game. This acquisition builds on their strong partnership, allowing both companies to further collaborate in developing new and innovative mobile games.
Supercell, in turn, is owned by Tencent, a Chinese tech giant that holds a significant position in the gaming world. Tencent has stakes in renowned companies like Remedy Entertainment, FromSoftware, and Epic Games. It also fully owns notable studios such as Riot Games, Sumo Group, and Funcom. The acquisition of Space Ape Games adds to Tencent’s growing portfolio of game development studios, further expanding its influence in the global gaming market.
Supercell’s CEO, Ilkka Paananen, expressed his excitement about the acquisition, stating:
“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.”
Similarly, Space Ape’s CEO, John Earner, shared his enthusiasm for the acquisition:
“We’ve loved working closely with Supercell for many years, and this move is the next stage in that partnership. 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.”
The acquisition is expected to be finalized by spring 2025, with Supercell’s London office set to be operational by then.