Keywords nabs Japanese HTML5 developer Wizcorp for $1.1 million

Game service provider Keywords has acquired Japanese work-for-hire studio Wizcorp for $1.1 million in cash from Ankama and Silicon Studio Corporation.

It's a notable move that could help Keywords break into the Japanese market -- with the company particularly keen to make use of Snapchat's new Snap Games platform -- while also enabling Wizcorp to outsource portions of larger projects. 

For those unfamiliar with Wizcorp, the Tokyo-based studio largely specializes in HTML5 mobile development, and has worked with a huge variety of Japanese publishers and developers including LINE, Square Enix, Bandai Namco, and Yahoo Japan. 

Keywords, meanwhile, has been on something of a spending spree over the past 12 months, having secured an $88 million credit line for new acquisitions and investments back in June 2018. 

"Keywords is excited at the opportunities Wizcorp will bring the Group and its clients in the Japanese market as it becomes the latest member of our global Engineering service line," said Christopher Kennedy, Keyword's regional managing director for Asia. 

"Wizcorp's HTML5 expertise is a valuable extension to our console, mobile and PC games development skills, which is particularly interesting in the context of Snap's recent launch of its HTML5 based gaming platform."