Aeria Games is one of the industry’s leading MMO and mobile game publishers, and it has no plans to take things easy. In fact, earlier today the company announced that it has received a strategic investment from So-net Entertainment Corporation, a Japanese internet service provider with a special emphasis on entertainment.
Aeria Games is one of the industry’s leading MMO and mobile game publishers, and it has no plans to take things easy. In fact, earlier today the company announced that it has received a strategic investment from So-net Entertainment Corporation, a Japanese internet service provider with a special emphasis on entertainment.
There aren’t any exact numbers available on the amount of funding that Aeria Games has managed to raise from So-net, but it should almost certainly be enough to keep the California-based social/mobile games publisher on top of the market. Aeria boasts that its market consists of over 40 million core gamers worldwide, with 1 million new players jumping on board every month. Unlike other social game developers, Aeria specializes in developing mobile and browser games for the hardcore crowd, including RPGs, action games, and first-person shooters.
Sure enough, Aeria promises that its new partnership will mean more cool games for enthusiasts. “We welcome So-net Entertainment Corporation as a strategic partner as we move forward to expand our relationships with global digital entertainment companies,” stated the CEO of Aeria Games, Lan Hoang, in a press release that was distributed on Tuesday. “Our track record and accelerated growth has enabled us to align with companies that will complement our portfolio, so we look forward to working with So-net and its partners to bring more highly sought-after content to our more than 40 million dedicated users.”
It’s an interesting team-up, to be sure. Sony is no slouch in the free-to-play MMO market either, thanks to Sony Online Entertainment and games like Free Realms. Aeria prides itself in its servitude of the core online market (as it should—the company makes good games), but maybe its new partnership will result in some lighter fare for the kids, too. Of course, SOE is based in California, like Aeria, and unlike So-net, but Sony is a company with worldwide influence. It wouldn’t be too hard for Aeria and SOE to exchange ideas.
The more consultation that flies between the two companies, the better. The free-to-play MMO market is merciless, and both Aeria and SOE are going to be increasingly interested in their mutual survival.
