Sumo Group acquires UK developer Midoki to boost live service skills | Pocket Gamer.biz

Mobile Games, Other

Tencent Subsidiary Sumo Group Acquires British Developer Midoki

Tencent subsidiary Sumo Group has recently announced the acquisition of British developer Midoki. While the exact amount of the acquisition remains undisclosed, this move is set to strengthen Sumo Group’s expertise in free-to-play and live service games, as well as its overall presence in mobile gaming.

Midoki, established in 2011, has an impressive track record of successful titles, with RPG Knighthood being its standout game, having been downloaded over five million times. The developer has also collaborated with Sega Hardlight on Crazy Taxi City Rush, a mobile spin-off of the popular game.

“I’m delighted to welcome the Midoki team to the Group as we look to expand our presence in live service and mobile gaming,” said Sumo Group CEO Carl Cavers. “With over a decade of experience in this space, Midoki will strengthen our current service offering in game development as we continue to create great games for our partners and exciting experiences for players.

“The values and culture of Midoki are a natural fit to Sumo, and we’re excited to add a further 29 talented game creators to the business and share in the next step of their journey.”

A Promising Collaboration

Following the acquisition, Midoki will operate as an independent studio but will create games under the Sumo banner. This partnership is expected to leverage the strengths of both companies and result in the development of high-quality games.

This isn’t the first time Sumo Group has expanded its portfolio through strategic acquisitions. In 2020 alone, the company acquired co-development specialist Pipeworks, independent studio PixelAnt Games, and Bristol-based developer Auroch Digital. The company’s growth and success culminated in its acquisition by Tencent for a staggering $1.3 billion in 2022. Sumo Group currently operates five development studios in the UK and two in India.

The acquisition of Midoki comes just two years after Phoenix Games acquired a minority stake in the company in 2021. As part of the deal, Phoenix Games obtained the publishing rights to Knighthood.