Gaming

Team behind global soccer game raise £1m for new launches

Published

2 years ago

April 11, 2023

Reading Time: 2 minutes

The team behind one of the world’s leading mobile football games has raised a further £1m from NPIF – Mercia Equity Finance, which is managed by Mercia and is part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund, and Mercia’s own funds.

The latest investment will enable Invincibles Studio to build on the success of its Soccer Manager game with the launch of two new football action games. Soccer Manager enables players to build their own dream team from over 25,000 official FIFPRO licensed players and watch them take part in engaging and realistic match action.

The game has over 50 million registered users drawn from every country in the world. Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta acts as its global ambassador, and it also has partnerships with Inter Milan and Wolverhampton Wanderers FC as well as the German league DFL, the Scottish Premier League and FIFPRO.

European Gaming Congress 2024 (Warsaw, Poland)

Invincibles was founded in Preston in 2004 by brothers Chris, Steven and Andy Gore and their friend Peter Adams. Mercia first invested in 2014. Since then the business has secured repeat funding rounds from Mercia, the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund and other investors to support its ongoing growth. The company has more than doubled its revenue in the past two years and has continued to build its management team.

Invincibles is now led by Chris Gore as CEO, together with Max Lowe as CFO and COO, and Johnny Coghlan – who has overseen the development and launch of hit mobile game franchises including Angry Birds and Cut The Rope – as CMO. It is chaired by Nick Wheelwright, former CEO of Codemasters and founder of Playground games which was acquired by Microsoft. Invincibles employs over 55 staff in Preston and Leeds.

Chris Gore, CEO, says: “Our vision for Soccer Manager was to create a truly immersive game that uses real football players and is genuinely free to play. With the support of our investors, we have continued to enhance it over the years and attract a global audience. Following two years of strong growth, we are excited to be working on two new football games and look forward to unveiling them in the year ahead.”

Julian Viggars of Mercia added: “The games market is one of the fastest growing in the world, and Invincibles has become one of the leading independent football games studios within that. Following the global success of Soccer Manager, this latest investment will enable the studio to build on its reputation and reach an even wider audience with the launch of new games.”

Sean Hutchinson at British Business Bank said: “The games market continues to develop at a rapid rate, with businesses finding new ways to market, develop, and keep users engaged with different alternatives. Invincibles has a long history in this space and it is clear it has used funding in each stage of its growth journey to remain one of the North and UK’s most exciting game creators.”

The Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund project is supported financially by the European Union using funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020 and the European Investment Bank.

eSports

eWear launches aim.one – the world’s first functional gaming wear for esports athletes and gaming-fans

Published

2 days ago

July 28, 2025

George Miller

ewear-launches-aim.one-–-the-world’s-first-functional-gaming-wear-for-esports-athletes-and-gaming-fans

Reading Time: < 1 minute

From hoodies to short-sleeved jerseys: the entire collection has been developed to meet the specific needs of gamers – uncompromising, highest-quality and thought-out down to the last detail.

“There is the right functional clothing for every sport – for soccer, tennis, golf… Gaming used to have this gap. Not anymore!”, say the founders.

The debut collection features 4 products and thus offers the right piece for all gamers: hoodie, longsleeve, shirt and pants. Each combines innovative functionality with comfort and style. Smart gadgets – including special ventilation zones, padding and other features to promote reaction, focus and grip – make this clothing a real support in the game.

Developed from the ground up specifically for playing at a PC, “aim.one is for everyone who wants to take their gaming to the next level – from high-end eSports pros to hobby gamers,” say the founders. “With this collection, gamers finally get their own clothing tailored to their passion!”

The product launch will take place via Kickstarter on the 5th of August!

Until launch, Gamers can unlock MVP status for only a €/$1 donation. This grants up to 35% discount during the campaign — plus a free nickname print on their apparel.

The post eWear launches aim.one – the world’s first functional gaming wear for esports athletes and gaming-fans appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Central Europe

Number of companies and employees in German games industry falls for first time in years

Published

1 week ago

July 23, 2025

George Miller

number-of-companies-and-employees-in-german-games-industry-falls-for-first-time-in-years

Reading Time: 3 minutes

After years of growth, the number of companies and employees in the German games industry declined in 2025. This was announced today by game – The German Games Industry Association on the basis of data from gamesmap.de in cooperation with Goldmedia. According to the data, the number of companies in Germany that develop and/or publish games has dropped by 4 per cent within the past year, to 910. The boom in start-ups in the games sector, which was set in motion by the introduction of the German Federal Games Funding Programme in 2020, has now completely subsided. Last year’s figures already indicated a clear slowdown. This decline was due in particular to the consolidation of the global games market and the unreliable availability of games funding to date in Germany.

Three times since 2020, there have been months-long suspensions placed on funding applications. Despite the newly registered drop, the number of companies has risen by 46 per cent overall since the initial start of the games funding programme in 2020. Of the 910 present companies, 454 work exclusively in game development and 52 exclusively as publishers. The remaining 404 companies are active in both the development and publishing of games.

‘Last year was another very difficult one for the German games industry,’ says Felix Falk, Managing Director of game. ‘Germany’s international competitiveness was further decreased by the ongoing flip-flopping of the games funding policy, which ran right into the consolidation wave that swept the global games sector. Fortunately, the new federal government has already taken the necessary steps to level the playing field for companies in this country. The future funding budget is to be increased and thus adjusted to actual needs, and applications can be submitted from August onwards. These are crucial growth impulses that are urgently needed. The additional funds will not only give companies more planning security, but also time to implement additional tax breaks for games, as set out in the coalition agreement between the CDU, CSU and SPD. The improved conditions will finally give games companies a boost, which will hopefully soon be reflected in more start-ups and the creation of new jobs.’

The number of employees at games companies in Germany has also declined over the last year. Whereas game developers and publishers employed 12,408 workers in 2024, the current figure stands at just 12,134 – a drop of 2 per cent. As with the number of companies, the employee numbers had previously shown strong growth since the introduction of the games funding programme at the federal level: a rise of 23 per cent from 2020 to 2024. The recent decline indicates that the current conditions for the games industry, which offer limited scope for planning due to the repeated funding application stoppages and significant current funding restrictions, are having an impact on the job market. A year ago, there were still more companies with ongoing projects that were internationally competitive thanks to funding at levels comparable to those in other countries – financing that had stabilised Germany’s game sector, despite the global consolidation wave and a lack of funding certainty for the industry here. The game industry secures a total of over 30,000 jobs in Germany. In addition to jobs in development and publishing, these include, for example, skilled professionals in educational institutions, the media and the public and commercial sectors.

About the data
The data is drawn from a survey carried out by Goldmedia on the basis of entries on gamesmap.de. It was conducted on behalf of game – The German Games Industry Association for the period ending on 12 May 2025.

The post Number of companies and employees in German games industry falls for first time in years appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Asia

METABORA Partners with LINE NEXT

Published

2 weeks ago

July 15, 2025

Niji Narayan

Reading Time: 2 minutes

METABORA, a global casual game developer and blockchain project operator, has announced a strategic partnership with LINE NEXT Inc. Through this partnership, METABORA will distribute Web3 games via the LINE Messenger–based Dapp Portal, expanding its reach in the Web3 gaming space.

The Dapp Portal is a platform built on the KAIA ecosystem that offers Mini Dapps (decentralised applications) directly within the LINE Messenger app. Users can enjoy a variety of Mini Dapps—ranging from games to social features—without needing to install separate applications. Since its launch in January this year, the platform has garnered significant attention, surpassing 100 million cumulative users.

Through this new partnership, METABORA and LINE NEXT will work closely to accelerate the growth of the Mini Dapp’s gaming ecosystem. Leveraging its network of development partners and global experience in game development and publishing, METABORA will supply Web3 games to the Dapp Portal. LINE NEXT will expand accessibility to Web3 games and support marketing of these games through its platform.

As part of the collaboration, METABORA will also expand the utility of its BORA token within the LINE Messenger–based Mini Dapp ecosystem. The company plans to implement a payment infrastructure that enables users to purchase in-game items currently planned for upcoming titles to be released under the BORA brand. Additionally, METABORA will apply Gas Abstraction technology, allowing users to make in-app purchases with BORA without needing KAIA tokens to cover gas fees. This feature is expected to be fully implemented in the second half of the year.

By expanding the utility of the BORA token, METABORA aims to elevate its value beyond the confines of the BORA Chain, laying the groundwork for broader integration across the Web3 ecosystem.

In addition, METABORA and LINE NEXT plan to continue their collaboration by researching and developing infrastructure to support the use of stable coins such as USDT, further enhancing the Web3 gaming experience within the LINE ecosystem centered on the Dapp Portal.

Lim Youngjun, Co-CEO of METABORA, said: “We’re pleased to partner with LINE NEXT, a company making remarkable strides in the global Web3 gaming market with its vast user base. Through our strong network of development partners, we will carefully select and bring high-quality games to the Dapp Portal, working together to create a leading example of Web3 gaming reaching a mainstream audience.”

Kim Woosuk, CSO at LINE NEXT, said: “Through this partnership with METABORA, we look forward to creating a major success case for Mini Dapp. Moving forward, we will continue working closely together across multiple fronts, including enabling USDT stablecoin support to improve game onboarding and the overall user payment environment.”

The post METABORA Partners with LINE NEXT appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.