Aristocrat Leisure Limited recently announced that it has secured a series of investments geared at broadening its iGaming development capacity, as part of its growth strategy. These recent deals will better enable the provider to align itself with targeted genres, chiefly the high-growth casual and merge markets, an arena where Aristocrat Digital already established a presence, and the social casino segment, which the company already holds a commanding position in.
The three new studios that Aristocrat has acquired, will benefit from the resources to cultivate their talent and technical capabilities.
Futureplay is a Helsinki-based free-to-play mobile gaming studio with a focus on the burgeoning merge/match 3 segment of the casual market. Since being founded in 2015, Futureplay has released six games that have amassed over 140 million users worldwide. These titles include Merge Gardens, Idle Farming Empire, and Battlelands Royale. Jami Laes will take the helm at the studio, reporting within Aristocrat’s Plarium business. The combination of Plarium’s world-class game development infrastructure and marketing know-how and Futureplay’s exceptional casual mobile proficiency will allow the Plarium to grow and differentiate its portfolio which includes the smash hit RAID: Shadow Legends.
Aristocrat found more than just one promising prospect in the region, snapping up Helsinki-based studio, Northern Stars. This developer’s focus is on the flourishing hybrid casual genre, guided by game development maverick, Minwoo Lee, whose illustrious career includes stints at EA, Rovio, and Ubisoft. Antti Nikander, also previously from Rovio will also join the leadership team and the two plan to wield their combined experience to grow Aristocrat’s presence in Finland and boost its game development capabilities.
Aristocrat has also acquired Playsoft, a world-leading Poland-based mobile gaming studio that excels at social casino content. With over 13 years in the game, Playsoft has created over 50 successful game titles for third-party partners. The studio will be run within the Product Madness division, retaining its extraordinary founders Nicolas Bensignor and Pierre Olivier Monteil in leadership positions. The studio’s purpose will be to expedite the Product Madness pipeline while generating innovations. Additionally, Playsoft is expected to help build a solid footprint for the company in a strategic European territory.
Aristocrat Digital’s CEO, Michael Lang said,
“These deals are consistent with Aristocrat’s successful strategy of bringing more world-class game development talent and capability into the organisation to expand our game pipeline and sustain our strong growth momentum in Digital. We are thrilled to welcome Futureplay, Northern Stars and Playsoft to the Aristocrat Digital family, given their impressive track records in game development, creativity and innovation. Coupled with Aristocrat Digital’s ambitious strategy, global scale, marketing and investment capabilities, we look forward to helping our new colleagues reach new heights as part of Aristocrat.”
“We will continue to be active in pursuing global talent and studio deals that accelerate our growth strategy, alongside our sustained proven focus in driving organic growth and above-market results,” he concluded.
Aristocrat Digital
Aristocrat Digital is the digital, social free-to-play games arm of Aristocrat Leisure Ltd.
The company boasts a staff complement of 2 300 employees across the globe in over 14 locations. Aristocrat Digital’s portfolio consists of premium, top-performing game titles across the social casino, mid-core, strategy, roleplay games, action and key casual genres. Three major operating businesses, namely, Plarium Global (Israel), Product Madness (UK) and Big Fish Games (US), make up the organisation, creating a formidable combination of creative talent, live ops and marketing capability with a laser focus on investment in innovation and growth.
Futureplay and Playsoft in focus
Since its establishment in 2015, Futureplay has followed its philosophy of reinventing the gaming experience with six innovative titles that millions of players all over the world have enjoyed. The company’s games are known for being player-friendly and accessible. The studio’s idle gaming catalogue includes Idle Farming Empire, Idle City Empire, Idle Crafting Empire and Idle Tuber Empire.
Playsoft is around 11 years older than Futureplay, having first opened its doors in 2004. The company’s reputation is built on its excellent live operations, full game development, porting and quality assurance, capabilities, as well as its self-published titles like Blade Lords and Tour de France.
