Japanese mid-core studio Gumi one of the leading developers on the GREE platform has announced its intention to undertake an initial public offering in Japan.
In an interview with TechCrunch, founder and CEO Hiranao Kunimitsu confirmed the firm was "going to IPO" because he doesn't want to "sell my company to others."
His statement is an interesting one, however, if only because a portion of Gumi is already owned by another company: GREE.
Globally speaking
In September 2010, Gumi allocated new shares to the social gaming platform holder, and currently lists GREE as a 'major partner' on its corporate website.
Gumi's existing games include Yakuza Wars, Pirate Wars and Knight Wars all of which are available through the GREE platform. There's no indication that an IPO would change Gumi's close relationship with the Japanese social gaming giant.
Indeed, Gumi may form an integral part of GREE's ongoing attempts to court the western market. Kunimitsu is certainly keen to see his company's games tap into the wider global market.
"If the Japanese part of the industry is only 10 percent to 15 percent of the total market and it's worth $5 billion, globally were looking at a $50 billion market. Maybe thats what its going to be," added Kunimitsu.
"We'll call that the ceiling."
Although nothing is confirmed yet, it seems likely that Gumi will undertake its IPO sometime in 2013.
[source: TechCrunch]
News
Related Articles
News
May 31st, 2017
Berlin-based Playsnak snags $1.2 million investment from Gumi as it pushes further into VR development
as
News
May 8th, 2017
Final Fantasy Brave Exvius passes 20 million global downloads in time for first anniversary
Top Stories
Feature
May 14th, 2024
Matej Lančarič's Squad Busters deep dive: Under the skin of 2024's biggest launch yet
Feature
May 14th, 2024
53 top mobile games in soft launch: Squad Busters, Battle Guys: Royale, Plants vs. Zombies 3, LEGO Hill Climb Adventures, and more
Events
Valencia Indie Summit 2024 | Europe | May 16th |
Mobidictum Meetup Berlin May 2024 | Europe | May 16th |
Digital Dragons | Europe | May 19th |
GamesBeat Summit 2024 | North America | May 20th |
Mobidictum Meetup Tallinn May 2024 | Europe | May 21st |
Nordic Game Spring 2024 | Nordic | May 21st |
Impact 2024 - Indie Games | May 23rd | |
MomoCon 2024 | North America | May 24th |
Popular Stories
News
May 9th, 2024
A third of developers implementing new payment options in face of Digital Markets Act’s $18 billion opportunity
Feature
May 7th, 2024