Preston-based online game Soccer Manager has secured a further 拢3 million to support its continued growth.听
Founded in Preston in 2004 by soccer-loving brothers, Andy, Chris and Steven Gore, the company employs over 40 staff.听It has grown revenue by over 80% since the launch of听Soccer Manager 2021听in September last year.听听
Its games are now played in 234 countries around the world and have been downloaded by more than 50 million players, attracting more than one million active users each month.听
The latest investment, which comes from existing investor Mercia鈥檚 own funds, the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund and the Government鈥檚 Future Fund, will allow it to grow its user base in the Middle East and Far East through local language translations, further develop its SM 2022 game which is due to launch this autumn, and relaunch its original multi-player game, SM World, by creating new apps and adding new features.听
鈥淲e founded Soccer Manager with a vision to create high-quality football games that the whole world could play,鈥� said CEO Andy Gore. 鈥淲e have always had the view that football, mobile and the internet is a powerful combination to achieve this vision.听听
鈥淎fter years of building out our IP, technology, and games to millions of people worldwide, this investment will add significant fuel to our current growth trajectory and ambitions.听
鈥淲e are delighted to have Mercia as a partner that continues to share our vision and we look forward to the next stage of our journey together.鈥�听
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Julian听Viggars, CIO of Mercia Asset Management, said: 鈥淭he video gaming market was estimated to be worth $159.3 billion in 2020, which is a considerable increase of 9% from 2019, in part due to the changes in the leisure time spend we have seen following the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.听听
鈥淪occer Manager is a great example of an innovative, regional business, which, with the determination of its founders, has scaled its recurring customer base and revenues to achieve high-quality games with a very loyal community.听听
鈥淭he business was already on a strong growth trajectory before the pandemic, but with the increasing numbers of 鈥榓t home gamers鈥� not expected to slow down, we anticipate that there is further significant potential in this asset.鈥�听
videogames