Scopely Acquires Dublin-based DIGIT Game Studios following the success of mobile game ‘Star Trek™ Fleet Command’

Leading interactive entertainment and mobile games company Scopely has acquired top Irish game developer DIGIT Game Studios. DIGIT has been Scopely’s partner since 2015, collaborating on the top-grossing MMO/strategy game Star Trek™ Fleet Command. The game, launched in November 2018, is on track to be the fastest title in Scopely’s portfolio to surpass $100 million in lifetime revenue. The success cements Scopely as a major player in the MMO/strategy game genre.

“Late last year, we expanded into the strategy genre with Star Trek™ Fleet Command, which has proven to be a hugely successful entry into the challenging-to-tackle MMO/strategy sector—surpassing $50 million in revenue in just the first four months. The trusted partnership we have built the last few years with our collaborator DIGIT also laid the foundation for even more opportunities in the strategy space,” said Tim O’Brien, Chief Revenue Officer at Scopely. “Game, tech and publishing expertise across both teams resulted in a dynamic experience players are engaging with for hours every day. It’s exciting to see the game garnering awards and popularity, showcasing that our deep collaboration has been a great mix for Fleet Command. We look forward to further scaling the Scopely business with DIGIT, who will be a fantastic addition to our growing global team.”

DIGIT founder and Chief Executive Richard Barnwell will continue to manage the operations of the Dublin-based studio. Prior to DIGIT, Barnwell served as CEO of Jolt Online Gaming, part of the GameStop network, and held various senior positions at Jagex, the UK’s largest independent games developer and publisher.

“We partnered with Scopely in 2015 to enable us to grow our team and focus on building world-class strategy games,” said Barnwell, founder & Chief Executive of DIGIT Game Studios. “The success we’ve seen with Star Trek™ Fleet Command has been absolutely amazing and formalizing our relationship will allow us to scale the game even more. We can’t wait to see what else we can accomplish together.”

Maurice Roche, General Partner of Delta Partners commented on the acquisition, “We have been an investor since DIGIT started up in 2012 and led their Series A round in 2013.  This is a real vote of confidence not just in DIGIT but in Ireland as a base to make world class games. Games is a scary place for most investors but Richard built a world class team and gave us great confidence that it could be done at a global level. It has been quite the journey and this exit is great for the team but even better for the industry here to build on.”

Founded in 2011, Scopely expanded its operations to Barcelona in late 2017, an office which now has more than 75 employees. The DIGIT acquisition will grow the company’s European presence by an additional 70+ employees. Scopely also recently announced it will more than double the footprint of its Los Angeles headquarters by 2020.

In addition to DIGIT Game Studios, Scopely works with multiple studio partners to co-create its diverse product portfolio and operate franchises together. Scopely currently has studio partners in eight countries, across four continents, totaling a team of 800+ working on Scopely products.

Scopely is riding the momentum of several product launches, including Star Trek™ Fleet Command, along with existing portfolio successes, such as YAHTZEE® With Buddies, which saw its biggest year yet in ‘18 with 2x revenue growth. Scopely has demonstrated unique, long-term franchise capabilities with a highly diverse portfolio of games.

The company’s ability to deliver and scale such a range of products is driven by its proprietary technology and infrastructure, producing one of the most diversified portfolios in the industry. Scopely’s consistent growth propelled the business well north of a $400 million annual revenue run rate earlier this year.

Scopely made its first investment in DIGIT Game Studios in 2015 to collaborate in the strategy space. In 2018, Scopely announced a $160 million Series C funding round aimed for M&A and strategic investment initiatives.