Embracer, through its wholly owned subsidiary DECA Games, has entered into an agreement to acquire Vancouver gaming studio A Thinking Ape for approximately USD $105 million.
Founded in 2008 by Kenshi Arasaki (CEO), Wilkins Chung and Eric Diep, A Thinking Ape is a developer of mobile Free-to-Play (FTP) games with a social core.
“We’re extremely excited to be joining the ranks of entrepreneurs at the Embracer Group today. Alongside our colleagues at IUGO, this marks the beginning of an enduring mobile free-to-play business in the Vancouver ecosystem,” Arasaki told Techcouver today.
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A Thinking Ape’s team today consists of 82 people (and they’re hiring) with a unique and diverse set of backgrounds who together have developed mobile game titles like Party in My Dorm, Kingdoms at War, Casino X and Kingdom of Heckfire, all four constituting owned IPs.
“A Thinking Ape is one of the most respected mobile game studios in the industry. They’ve been successful for over a decade and we believe they are on the cusp of stepping up to an even bigger level. I’m delighted to join forces with Kenshi and the rest of his team” says Ken Go, Founder and CEO, DECA Games.
As part of the Embracer Group, A Thinking Ape will operate as an independent studio within the DECA operating unit with continued focus on Free-to-Play games.