Scopely helps fund the new studio from the mind behind Umamusume: Pretty Derby

Scopely has made a “strategic investment” in Studio Auknow, the new studio established by the former director of Umamusume: Pretty Derby.

The maker of Monopoly Go said the investment forms part of its long-term investment in the Japanese games market, “creating next-generation IP through collaboration with exceptional creators.”

While Scopely did not detail how much it invested, nor specifically name the developer the investment supports, in a statement (thanks, Eurogamer), president of Scopely Japan, Keiichi Kawai, said (as translated by machine): “Japan is home to many world-class creators with exceptional talent and innovativeness, and we are confident that they will continue to play a vital role in the global gaming industry.”

“This investment demonstrates Scopely’s long-term commitment to the Japanese market. We will fully support the challenge undertaken by these outstanding creators to ‘create next-generation entertainment experiences and make an impact from Japan to the world.”

The award-winning Umamusume: Pretty Derby has been downloaded over 18m times worldwide, and generated revenue of around $2.4bn since its launch in 2021, making it one of the most successful mobile games in Japanese history.

95 per cent of its revenue was generated in Japan, followed by the US (three per cent), Canada (less than one per cent), and Australia (less than one per cent), respectively.

According to Appmagic, 58 per cent of downloads – that’s around 10.8m – were in Japan, while the English localization, released last year, has been downloaded 2.2 million times in the US alone.