GDEV acquires Light Hour Games to expand its portfolio in mobile casual games
GDEV (NASDAQ:GDEV) has announced the acquisition of Light Hour Games, a Cyprus-based mobile gaming studio specializing in AI-driven casual game development. The acquired studio consists of a 15-person team led by industry veterans Konstantin Mitrofanov and Ilya Nikitin.
The strategic acquisition will provide Light Hour Games with continued creative autonomy and potential upside through revenue sharing, while gaining access to GDEV's knowledge and data platforms. The studio's expertise in AI-first workflows enables rapid game development iteration while maintaining high-quality standards.
Light Hour Games will maintain its operational independence while leveraging GDEV's resources to expand its casual gaming portfolio. The integration aims to combine Light Hour's lean structure and AI-driven toolset with GDEV's strategic capabilities in the mobile gaming market.
GDEV (NASDAQ:GDEV) ha annunciato l'acquisizione di Light Hour Games, uno studio di giochi mobile con sede a Cipro specializzato nello sviluppo di giochi casual basati sull'intelligenza artificiale. Lo studio acquisito è composto da un team di 15 persone guidato dai veterani del settore Konstantin Mitrofanov e Ilya Nikitin.
L'acquisizione strategica garantirà a Light Hour Games la continua autonomia creativa e la possibilità di beneficiare di una condivisione dei ricavi, oltre a fornire l'accesso alle piattaforme di conoscenza e dati di GDEV. L'esperienza dello studio nei flussi di lavoro AI-first permette iterazioni rapide nello sviluppo dei giochi mantenendo elevati standard di qualità.
Light Hour Games manterrà la propria indipendenza operativa sfruttando le risorse di GDEV per ampliare il proprio portafoglio di giochi casual. L'integrazione punta a combinare la struttura snella e gli strumenti basati sull'AI di Light Hour con le capacità strategiche di GDEV nel mercato dei giochi mobile.
GDEV (NASDAQ:GDEV) ha anunciado la adquisición de Light Hour Games, un estudio de juegos móviles con sede en Chipre especializado en el desarrollo de juegos casuales impulsados por IA. El estudio adquirido está compuesto por un equipo de 15 personas liderado por los veteranos de la industria Konstantin Mitrofanov e Ilya Nikitin.
La adquisición estratégica permitirá a Light Hour Games mantener su autonomía creativa y obtener beneficios potenciales mediante la participación en los ingresos, además de acceder a las plataformas de conocimiento y datos de GDEV. La experiencia del estudio en flujos de trabajo centrados en IA permite iteraciones rápidas en el desarrollo de juegos manteniendo altos estándares de calidad.
Light Hour Games conservará su independencia operativa mientras aprovecha los recursos de GDEV para expandir su cartera de juegos casuales. La integración busca combinar la estructura ágil y las herramientas impulsadas por IA de Light Hour con las capacidades estratégicas de GDEV en el mercado de juegos móviles.
GDEV (NASDAQ:GDEV)는 AI 기반 캐주얼 게임 개발을 전문으로 하는 키프로스 소재 모바일 게임 스튜디오 Light Hour Games를 인수했다고 발표했습니다. 인수된 스튜디오는 업계 베테랑인 콘스탄틴 미트로파노프와 일랴 니키틴이 이끄는 15인 팀으로 구성되어 있습니다.
이번 전략적 인수를 통해 Light Hour Games는 창의적 자율성을 유지하면서 수익 공유를 통한 잠재적 이익을 얻고, GDEV의 지식 및 데이터 플랫폼에 접근할 수 있게 됩니다. 스튜디오의 AI 우선 워크플로우 전문성은 고품질 기준을 유지하면서 신속한 게임 개발 반복을 가능하게 합니다.
Light Hour Games는 운영 독립성을 유지하는 동시에 GDEV의 자원을 활용해 캐주얼 게임 포트폴리오를 확장할 예정입니다. 이번 통합은 Light Hour의 효율적인 구조와 AI 기반 도구 세트를 GDEV의 모바일 게임 시장 전략 역량과 결합하는 것을 목표로 합니다.
GDEV (NASDAQ:GDEV) a annoncé l'acquisition de Light Hour Games, un studio de jeux mobiles basé à Chypre, spécialisé dans le développement de jeux casual pilotés par l'IA. Le studio acquis est composé d'une équipe de 15 personnes dirigée par les vétérans de l'industrie Konstantin Mitrofanov et Ilya Nikitin.
Cette acquisition stratégique offrira à Light Hour Games une autonomie créative continue et un potentiel de gains via le partage des revenus, tout en accédant aux plateformes de connaissances et de données de GDEV. L'expertise du studio dans les workflows axés sur l'IA permet des itérations rapides dans le développement des jeux tout en maintenant des standards de qualité élevés.
Light Hour Games conservera son indépendance opérationnelle tout en tirant parti des ressources de GDEV pour étendre son portefeuille de jeux casual. L'intégration vise à combiner la structure allégée et l'ensemble d'outils pilotés par l'IA de Light Hour avec les capacités stratégiques de GDEV sur le marché des jeux mobiles.
GDEV (NASDAQ:GDEV) hat die Übernahme von Light Hour Games bekannt gegeben, einem auf Zypern ansässigen Mobile-Gaming-Studio, das sich auf die Entwicklung von KI-gesteuerten Casual Games spezialisiert hat. Das erworbene Studio besteht aus einem 15-köpfigen Team, das von Branchenveteranen Konstantin Mitrofanov und Ilya Nikitin geleitet wird.
Die strategische Übernahme wird Light Hour Games weiterhin kreative Autonomie bieten und potenzielle Vorteile durch Umsatzbeteiligung ermöglichen, während es Zugang zu GDEVs Wissens- und Datenplattformen erhält. Die Expertise des Studios in KI-zentrierten Arbeitsabläufen ermöglicht schnelle Iterationen in der Spieleentwicklung bei gleichzeitiger Wahrung hoher Qualitätsstandards.
Light Hour Games wird seine operative Unabhängigkeit bewahren und gleichzeitig die Ressourcen von GDEV nutzen, um sein Casual-Gaming-Portfolio zu erweitern. Die Integration zielt darauf ab, die schlanke Struktur und das KI-gesteuerte Toolset von Light Hour mit den strategischen Fähigkeiten von GDEV im Mobile-Gaming-Markt zu verbinden.
- Acquisition of an AI-focused mobile gaming studio with proven expertise
- Access to Light Hour Games' advanced AI-driven development tools and workflows
- Addition of 15 experienced gaming industry professionals to GDEV's talent pool
- Strategic expansion into the casual mobile gaming market
- Revenue sharing structure aligns incentives for long-term growth
- Financial terms of the acquisition not disclosed
- Integration risks with a relatively small 15-person team
- Potential challenges in scaling AI-driven development processes
Insights
GDEV's acquisition of Light Hour Games strengthens its mobile casual gaming capabilities with AI-driven development expertise.
GDEV's acquisition of Light Hour Games represents a strategic move to expand its footprint in the growing mobile casual games market. The target company brings valuable AI-first development workflows that enable rapid iteration while maintaining quality - a significant competitive advantage in the fast-moving mobile space.
The 15-person team brings specialized expertise across game development, art, and live operations, led by industry veterans Konstantin Mitrofanov and Ilya Nikitin. What makes this acquisition particularly interesting is the structure: Light Hour Games will maintain creative freedom while securing operational funding, plus they'll receive a share in future success of their games - creating alignment between the acquired team and GDEV.
From a strategic perspective, this deal follows the gaming industry trend of larger publishers acquiring specialized studios with technological advantages. Light Hour Games' AI-driven toolset could potentially accelerate GDEV's development cycles across its portfolio, not just for this team's projects.
The integration appears focused on knowledge sharing and platform access rather than complete absorption, suggesting GDEV is following the increasingly common approach of preserving studio culture while providing resources to scale. This typically yields better retention of key talent, which is crucial in technology acquisitions.
While financial terms weren't disclosed, the acquisition of a 15-person studio likely represents a relatively modest investment for GDEV that could yield substantial returns if the AI-driven development approach proves successful at larger scale.
LIMASSOL, Cyprus, Aug. 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- GDEV Inc. (Nasdaq: GDEV), a global gaming and entertainment company, today announced the acquisition of Light Hour Games, a privately held mobile studio based in Cyprus.
Light Hour Games is a full-stack studio that builds and markets mobile casual games using AI-first workflows — enabling rapid iteration without compromising high-quality execution. Founded by industry veterans Konstantin Mitrofanov and Ilya Nikitin, the studio operates as a 15-person team with deep expertise across game development, art, and live operations.
The acquisition represents a strategic partnership that will grant the Light Hour Games studio the opportunity for continued creative freedom and long-term upside through a share in the future success of its games, while securing the necessary funding for its operations through GDEV. As part of GDEV’s ecosystem, Light Hour Games will gain access to GDEV’s knowledge and data platforms.
“By welcoming Light Hour Games into the GDEV family we secure a talented crew whose lean structure, deep industry experience and advanced AI-driven toolset perfectly complement our growth strategy. Our philosophy has always been about enabling the best creators with the resources and freedom they need to succeed,” said Andrey Fadeev, CEO of GDEV. “With Light Hour Games, we see an opportunity to bring fresh ideas and approaches to a proven genre - and we believe this team has the experience and ambition to build something truly special.”
Konstantin Mitrofanov, CEO of Light Hour Games, shared: “Partnering with GDEV gives our studio both the financial runway and the strategic reach to realise our ambitions. With GDEV’s support, we can focus on crafting a casual experience that not only engages players from day one, but grows over time into a meaningful part of their everyday lives.”
About GDEV Inc.
GDEV is a gaming and entertainment holding company, focused on development and growth of its franchise portfolio across various genres and platforms. With a diverse range of subsidiaries including Nexters and Cubic Games, among others, GDEV strives to create games that will inspire and engage millions of players for years to come. Its franchises, such as Hero Wars, Island Hoppers, Pixel Gun 3D and others have accumulated over 550 million installs and
About Light Hour Games
Light Hour Games is an AI-first game development studio and a part of GDEV. Based in Cyprus and founded by industry veterans, the company combines deep production expertise with cutting-edge AI workflows to accelerate development and enhance game quality. The studio focuses on creating mobile casual experiences that are emotionally engaging, scalable, and built to evolve with their players over time.
Contacts:
Investor Relations
Roman Safiyulin | Chief Corporate Development Officer
investor@gdev.inc
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