China’s iDreamSky acquires majority stake in Rumble for $10m

Chinese mobile company iDreamSky Technology has purchased a 50.1 per cent stake in US game developer Rumble Entertainment.

As reported by GamesBeat, the deal is said to be worth $10m and will see the iDreamSky publish online RPG KingsRoad in China.

Rumble Entertainment was formed in 2011 with a team of developers and executives from companies such as Blizzard, EA and Zynga. The studio planned to focus on creating free-to-play titles.

By October 2013, total funding in the studio from companies and investors such as Nexon, Google Ventures and TriplePoint Capital reached $35m. The developer used the investment to make titles such as Ballistic, KingsRoad and its upcoming Nightmare Guardians.

iDreamSky founder Jeff Lyndon said the acquisition of a majority stake in the studio is part of its plans to increase its presence in the West. The Chinese firm has provided funding for the studio to finish developing its latest title, Nightmare Guardians. Lyndon said Rumble had run out of funds for the game before it stepped in.

“It’s one of our biggest, most prominent moves in the West,” said Lyndon.

“I’m happy that we found a great team to invest in. Greg Richardson and his team have lots of experience. I enjoy the game a lot myself. It’s ahead of its time, in terms of both production values and the complexity of the game. Asia is moving much faster, so it’s the right time to start working with a developer on this kind of tier.”