Space Ape

01 / WHAT IT BUILT

What the company did

Space Ape was a London-based mobile game studio founded in 2012 by John Earner, Simon Hade, and Toby Moore, veterans of Playfish, Electronic Arts, and Mind Candy. It specialized in mid-core multiplayer strategy games, known to the founders as 'build and battlers'. Its debut title Samurai Siege launched in 2013, followed by Rival Kingdoms and the Hasbro-licensed Transformers: Earth Wars, and later the rhythm games Beatstar and Country Star and the racing title Chrome Valley Customs. In 2017 Supercell bought a 62% majority stake, and in November 2024 Supercell acquired the studio outright, folding it into what became Supercell London.

03 / EVENT HISTORY

Events in the structured record

1. 2012
   Studio founded

   John Earner, Simon Hade, and Toby Moore founded Space Ape Games in London with a 12-person team and about $1.8 million in seed funding, aiming to build high-quality free-to-play mobile games.

2. 2013
   Samurai Siege launched

   The studio's debut title Samurai Siege launched, reaching 10 million installs and becoming the foundation of its mid-core strategy business; total funding reached about $4.4 million.

3. 2017
   Supercell takes 62% stake

   Supercell acquired a 62% majority stake in Space Ape for about $55.8 million, valuing the studio at roughly $90 million, while the studio kept operating independently.

4. 2024
   Fully acquired by Supercell

   Supercell bought out the rest of Space Ape in November 2024, turning it into Supercell London. Around 70 staff joined Supercell London, remaining titles were spun out to new studios (Offroad Games, NextBeat, Yodo1), and about 30 people were laid off, effectively ending Space Ape as an independent studio.