Nexon invests $5m in A Bit Lucky
Lucky Train social network developer to expand team with new funds
Nexon has announced that it has finalised a deal with social network developer A Bit Lucky to invest $5 million in the firm.
The funds bring the total investment in the company - which launched in early 2010 - to $7.6 million, with Nexon landing a seat on the company's board. Meanwhile Google head of M&A David Lawee and Zynga co-founder Andrew Trader have joined the company's board of advisors.
"Nexon has been developing and operating high quality online multiplayer games since the mid Nineties," A Bit Lucky CEO Frederic Descamps explained to GamesIndustry.biz. "Furthermore, Nexon was the original creator of the free-to-play model over ten years ago with QuizQuiz (now called Q-Play).
"Their invention of a virtual goods and microtransaction-based business model revolutionised the gaming industry and has grown even larger all over the world and now, in its latest incarnation, with social gaming.
"Therefore, Nexon brings wealth of experience when it comes to best practices for retention, monetisation, virtual merchandising, engagement... that we believe can be very concretely applied to the new generation of social and mobile games A Bit Lucky is building.
"On our side, we are very excited to be part of Nexon's entry into the social and mobile gaming space!"
A Bit Lucky's first game, Lucky Train, was launched last year on Facebook - but the company is looking specifically to expand its European presence with a host of new roles on its London team.
"We want to invite the best game developers to join us and create a new generation of super high quality multiplayer online games," said Descamps. "We are going to use our funding primarily to expand our team and develop new titles."
The move adds to Nexon's portfolio of recent investments and acquisitions, having already completed deals with Antic Entertainment, BoomBang Games and one2tribe.
An interview with Nexon's Daniel Kim, in which he details the company's investment plans, is available now; and a full interview with Frederic Descamps that explains more about A Bit Lucky's origins and plans is also available.