UK publisher Kwalee has bought a €1.5m stake in hybridcasual outfit 8SEC, and will publish all of its games going forward.
French publisher 8SEC has publisher over 90 mobile games and says it has generated over 50m downloads across its portfolio. Its biggest titles include Trivia.io, Hero Squad and Idle Army, and it describes itself as an early adopter of hybridcasual games.
8SEC will continue to operate independently out of its offices in Lyon and Paris, but Kwalee will now assume all publishing duties going forward. Kwalee CFO Matthew Farrow and VP of mobile publishing John Wright will also join the 8SEC board.
Kwalee also invested in French narrative game studio Tictales back in 2022, and more recently signed a development and publishing agreement with Saudi firm Fahy Studios. The UK publisher also claims to have passed 1bn lifetime downloads across its portfolio.
Kwalee’s CEO David Darling CBE said of the deal: “We’re delighted to invest in talented game studios like 8SEC, expand our reach in the market and collaborate to help them reach even greater success”
“8SEC are renowned for their high quality of production and development and are proven global chart toppers. They align perfectly with our mission of making the most fun games for the world’s players and we’re excited to support them with the data driven methods we use to scale games globally.”
8SEC CEO Louis Giraud added: “I am thrilled to announce this strategic partnership with Kwalee. This collaboration marks a significant milestone for both organisations as we join forces to create incredible games that will push the hybridcasual mobile market into the next generation. We’re very excited for the future and are impatient to show the world the incredible project we’re working on together.”
