Supercell invests $2.9 million in Shipyard Games

After buying a majority stake in Badland developer Frogmind last September for $7.8 million, Clash Royale studio Supercell has invested $2.9 million in Helsinki-based Shipyard Games, according to GamesBeat. It's worth noting that Supercell itself is mostly (84 percent) owned by China's Tencent.

Shipyard is a mobile startup led by CEO Andreas Wedenberg along with veterans from Grey Area, which created the Shadow Cities location-based game in 2011. Supercell CEO Ilkka Panaanen was actually a backer of Shadow Cities.

"We're delighted to be partnering with Shipyard Games. We've known these developers for a very long time and have always been impressed by their passion for quality, humility, and understanding of the industry, having pioneered location-based games," said Timur Haussila, who works in mergers and acquisitions at Supercell.

"They're hugely experienced and the drive they have to push themselves to make high quality, successful games is extraordinary. When the opportunity arose to partner with them on this new venture, we jumped at the chance. They constantly want to learn, develop and test the boundaries of what is possible in games, so we can't wait to see what they will come up with in the months and years to come."

Needless to say, with the overwhelming success of Pokémon GO, a number of mobile studios will want to see if they can strike gold with other location-based titles. "It is hard to stay away from this startup life when you do it once. When Pokémon Go came out, I saw a great opportunity. Pokémon Go made location-based gaming mainstream and introduced it to the whole world. It meant it was a great opportunity to make new location-based games," said Wedenberg.

Shipyard's first title will be aimed at casual mainstream audiences and is expected to launch on iOS next year.