SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Pocket Gems, a top developer of original mobile games and interactive entertainment, is today announcing plans for a major global expansion and a minority investment from Tencent, a leading integrated Internet services provider in China. This expansion will enable Pocket Gems to reach over 1 billion players worldwide with its proprietary Mantis Engine and original IP.
Pocket Gems will benefit from Tencent’s deep expertise in building and commercializing games and interactive entertainment. The partnership will present Pocket Gems with opportunities to expand into global markets including China, which grew in excess of 100 percent in 2014. Tencent can also benefit from Pocket Gems’ proven capability in developing highly engaging mobile games and strong understanding of Western mobile game players.
“We’re thrilled to be partnering with Tencent, whose unparalleled strength in games publishing and operations in China will help us create great mobile games and entertainment for players globally,” said Ben Liu, CEO of Pocket Gems. “The next chapter of Pocket Gems will be defined by technical innovation and a sharp focus on creating original mobile-first products, as evidenced by the development of our Mantis Engine over the past two years.”
Pocket Gems’ Mantis Engine has full native support for 3D graphics with a small memory footprint optimized for mobile devices. It was designed specifically to enable synchronous multiplayer gameplay and real-time communications by handling low connectivity associated with mobile networks.
“Over the past five years, Pocket Gems’ talented team of game-makers has created a portfolio of popular products and technical innovations that have attracted a wide audience in the Western mobile games market," said Steven Ma, senior vice president of Tencent. "We look forward to working more closely with them to bring innovation and excitement to gamers around the world.”
Following the strategic investment, Pocket Gems will continue to operate independently. Terms of the investment were not disclosed.
Pocket Gems recently surpassed 200 million downloads across iOS and Android. Last month, the company launched War Dragons, one of the world’s first synchronous multiplayer games with 3D graphics, in six countries. Pocket Gems’ Episode platform, which aims to define storytelling for the modern mobile audience, also recently passed half a billion chapters read and over 1 million author signups. Pocket Gems is backed by leading venture capital firm Sequoia Capital.
About Pocket Gems:
Pocket Gems is a mobile entertainment company anchored in gaming that was founded in 2009. Since pioneering free-to-play mobile games, Pocket Gems’ titles have been downloaded more than 200 million times across iOS and Android. Pocket Gems team has grown to 200 people based in San Francisco. To learn more about Pocket Gems, visit www.pocketgems.com.
