Helsinki-based Metacore Games, a mobile game developer, announced that it has acquired animation and illustration studio PiñataHEL Oy, also known as Piñata, by purchasing all of its shares for an undisclosed amount.
Metacore and Piñata have been working closely since the release of Metacore’s debut game, Merge Mansion, in 2020. The acquisition enhances Metacore’s position as one of Europe’s rapidly growing mobile game companies known for crafting narrative-driven games.
It also helps level up the company’s creative storytelling and augment its in-house capacity for top-notch marketing production.
“Our mission is to create entertainment with our games but also with our marketing and community building,” says Mika Tammenkosk, CEO of Metacore.
“Piñata brings us not only animation skills and capabilities but creative storytelling both for our games and marketing. Piñata’s experience of working with Merge Mansion as well as some of the most popular mobile games and entertainment brands in the world makes them an extremely strong addition to our team,” adds Tammenkoski.
Metacore’s milestones
In 2022, Metacore generated €129M in revenue with over 180 professionals on board. The company also secured €180M in funding from gaming company Supercell, becoming a part of its portfolio.
The year 2023 has marked significant milestones for the game studio. They welcomed approximately 80 new team members, initiated a global campaign featuring Pedro Pascal, introduced the Mansion in Merge Mansion, and celebrated surpassing 50 million downloads for the game.
Last week, Metacore announced the opening of its first expansion beyond Helsinki in Berlin. The company says it chose Berlin due to the city’s robust gaming environment, vibrant tech, entertainment and creative community.
Metacore says it is currently working on several new games; some are still in the planning phase, while others are close to their release dates. Each game is developed to fit the market of mobile games.
Piñata as a ‘creative storytelling partner’
Helsinki-based Piñata boasts a talented collective of illustrators, animators, and VFX experts. They specialise in delivering world-class visual solutions to a diverse clientele, catering to global brands in the gaming, marketing and entertainment sectors, including TV, print, web and mobile.
Piñata’s work is distinguished by its innovative pre-production efforts, blending skills and techniques that range from traditional drawing and 2D animation to sophisticated 3D photorealism.
Some of its works include the games Clash of Clans, Eternal Dragons and Edge of War. It is also a creative partner and art producer for video gaming companies such as Zynga, Housemargue and SuperCell.
“Piñata has grown from visual producer to a creative storytelling partner,” says Piñata co-founder and CEO Sari Tani.
“We have been involved in creating the story of Merge Mansion from the beginning, and now we have the opportunity to deepen the collaboration with future new games, too,” Tani adds.
Read the orginal article: https://siliconcanals.com/news/startups/gaming-virtual-reality/metacore-games-acquires-pinata/
