Kongregate has announced that its San Diego-based Ultrabit game studio will take over operations and community support for the hit mobile and web-based RPG Bit Heroes. The game has been acquired from the Reno-based developer Juppiomenz, and now that Kongregate is in charge of the property the publisher has plans to expand Bit Heroes into a franchise.
While the news about this acquisition is sudden, we already know that both Kongregate and Juppiomenz will work together to continue providing service to Bit Heroes on mobile and the web. Both companies will oversee the handoff to Ultrabit in order to provide a seamless transition, but bigger plans are on the horizon. An expansion of the game to Asian markets is expected, and of course, enhancements will come to the Bit Heroes universe so that players remain engaged.
It would appear that Kongregate has big plans to turn Bit Heroes into a franchise, and since the Android version of Bit Heroes currently sits at a 4.7 star rating with over 1 million downloads after raking in over $10 million in net revenue over the last two years, it's quite clear that this game is an earner. So why wouldn't an enterprising publisher like Kongregate want to expand on this success?
So far, the terms of the acquisition have not been disclosed.
PRESS RELEASE
KONGREGATE TO ACQUIRE THE HIT MOBILE & WEB RPG BIT HEROES
Game operations and community support is transitioning to Kongregate’s San Diego-based Ultrabit game studio
San Francisco (July 22, 2019) - Kongregate, a leading developer and publisher of mobile, PC, console, and web games and division of MTG group, today announced the acquisition of the hit web and mobile RPG game, Bit Heroes. The game is being acquired from Reno-based developer, Juppiomenz, and all game operations and community support will be managed by Kongregate’s San Diego-based Ultrabit game studio.
The retro RPG Bit Heroes first launched on Kongregate.com in September 2016. It became an immediate favorite among users with over 14 million game plays to date and a stellar 4.5 user rating on Kongregate’s web gaming platform. Bit Heroes then moved to mobile, with Kongregate serving as the publisher, supporting Juppiomenz with product, analytics, and marketing. The mobile version of Bit Heroes earned an Editors’ Choice award on Google Play and has amassed over $10 million in net revenue.
Josh Larson, Chief Business Officer at Kongregate, said of the acquisition, “Juppiomenz is a great indie developer success story, and Bit Heroes has been a star in our publishing portfolio. We’re thrilled to take on and expand the Bit Heroes franchise.” Larson concluded, “This deal exemplifies the acquisition model we’ve established -- prove out an innovative game concept on web or PC, scale the game through direct publishing, then reward the game creators with an investment or, in this case, an acquisition.”
Kongregate and Ultrabit will continue to service and market the game going forward. The Ultrabit team will also make enhancements to the Bit Heroes universe to continue to bring great content and events to keep both new and existing players engaged. Kongregate will also expand the game’s reach through further expansion into Asia.
“Juppiomenz is a small, three-person studio. We’ve poured our hearts into this game for the last five years, and we felt this was a good time to hand this off to another great team.”, said Jace Stark, co-founder and President of Juppiomenz. “Our players have always been the most important component to our success, and we wouldn’t have agreed to this arrangement if we weren’t completely confident that the game would be in good hands.”
As part of the acquisition, Kongregate and Juppiomenz will see through the handoff of the game to Ultrabit to ensure a seamless experience for users. Both parties will also continue their partnership by collaborating on a future game set in the Bit Heroes universe.
Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
