In an extremely rare deal, US mobile gaming juggernaut Scopely acquired a stake in Tokyo-based mobile studio AuKnow last week.
In principle, foreign game companies can enter Japan through any of the following avenues (in descending order of resource requirements):
- Incorporation
- M&A
- Joint venture
- Investment (Scopely’s case)
- Strategic Partnership
- Remote market entry
Savvy Games Group-owned Scopely has been active in Japan in different forms for several years now, also via Niantic’s Tokyo office that was opened by the Pokemon Go company (which Savvy also acquired) all the way back in 2015.
Scopely says the deal’s goal is not only expanding their business in Japan but also developing IP and fostering creators.
In this case, AuKnow is led by Takuma Akitsu whose claim to fame is his role in planning, development, and live-ops for Japanese mobile game sensation Uma Musume – a position he left in 2024.
I have been active in this business for 15 years now and cannot remember such an announcement.
What is further interesting is that this is a typical early venture deal, as AuKnow is a brand new studio with (most probably) no revenue to speak of, no products, just 30 employees and October 2025 as its establishment date.
Scopely seems to bet that Akitsu’s background and that of his team will enable them to pull off its mission successfully, namely to combine the creation of hit mobile (and PC) games with innovative IP production and cross-media development.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Scopely in Japan is led by Niantic graduate Kei Kawai.