Horsing around.
Mobile gaming giant Scopely has made a "strategic investment" into Studio Auknow, a new company formed by the former director of Umamusame: Pretty Derby.
Announced via a press release from Scopely , this move has been made as part of the company's continued "long-term investment in the Japanese market". This comes relatively soon after Scopely bought up Niantic for $3.5bn in 2025 .
Studio AuKnow is home to a spread of experienced mobile game developers, according to this release. Founder Takuma Akitsu was the director of award-winning Umamusame: Pretty Derby, working on the game up until 2024 as the game surged into popularity. However, other staff present have experience on Pokémon Pocket , Onmyoji, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth , Sonic World Adventure. Studio AuKnow is currently working on a new mobile IP, and is currently recruiting for a variety of roles.
Scopely is owned by the Savvy Games Group, a Saudi Arabian state-owned investment company which has made similar financial players in the games industry over the years. This particular investment is part of a wider push by Saudi Arabia Scopely to invest in the mobile gaming sphere, which should be little surprise considering the surge in mobile gaming's popularity in the MENA region .
Saudi Arabian investment efforts have been criticized by many humanitarian groups due to the country's poor human rights record , with its fiscal outreach into a variety of industries - video games includes - described as an effort to wash its reputation for global tourism and investment .