[Press release] SANTA CLARA – April 18, 2012 – Aeria Games, a leading publisher of free-to-play online multiplayer games, today announced its receipt of a strategic investment from So-net Entertainment Corporation, a listed subsidiary of Sony Corporation, to further strengthen its position as a leader in the global MMO market. So-net becomes Aeria Games’ second external investment partner, following a 2011 investment by NHN Corporation. The agreement comes as Aeria continues its rapid growth; the company revealed today that it has passed the milestone of 40 million core gamers worldwide, and continues to add more than one million players each month.
Founded in 2006, Aeria Games is a global leader in providing quality free-to-play online games in North America, Latin America, and Europe. The company’s success comes from its expertise in delivering engaging games and providing dedicated customer service to its core gamers, resulting in an active user base and high profitability. Aeria Games hosts a diverse and rapidly growing portfolio of over 30 critically-acclaimed MMO titles in nine languages, spanning genres such as action, roleplaying, shooter, real-time strategy, and racing. Its recently launched Aeria Mobile division has already announced four titles and is scaling up for robust expansion through both internal development and the acquisition of new titles through global partnerships.
So-net was established in 1995 and seeks to provide entertainment via networks to the largest possible audience. The company boasts over four million subscribers; its media and entertainment business is centered on online games. In addition to being one of the largest ISPs in Japan, So-net is one of the founding and largest shareholders of DeNA Co., Ltd., a major mobile gaming company, and the owner of Gamepot Inc., a major Japanese game publisher.
“We welcome So-net Entertainment Corporation as a strategic partner as we move forward to expand our relationships with global digital entertainment companies,” said Lan Hoang, Chief Executive Officer, Aeria Games. “Our track record and accelerated growth has enabled us to align with companies that will complement our portfolio, so we look forward to working with So-net and its partners to bring more highly sought-after content to our more than 40 million dedicated users.”
With over 300 employees worldwide, Aeria Games is building its presence in the emerging markets of Latin America, Eastern Europe, and Russia alongside its active community of players in the US and Western Europe. With content partnerships from top game companies such as Electronic Arts and NHN, as well as independent developers from around the world, Aeria Games will continue to add high-quality content to its portfolio to service its fast-growing global community. The company will utilize the additional resources from the So-net partnership to expand its content offerings and strengthen its position as a device-agnostic platform for mid- to hardcore gamers.
Terms of the So-Net Entertainment agreement were not disclosed. For more information on Aeria Games, visit http://www.aeriagames.com.
