Nival Invests In HTML5 Game Dev Bytex

Moscow-based strategy game specialists Nival has made an investment in Saransk, Russia-based HTML5 developer Bytex, the studio behind online collectible card game Berserk: The Cataclysm. Nival didn't disclose the size of its investment in Bytex, but Nival's money and expertise will be used to help Bytex launch Berserk, which has attracted an audience of 1,000 monthly active users since launching a beta test in late October, according to AppData. "Bytex is leading the online games industry in developing a great browser-based gaming experience through HTML5, an emerging technology for cross-platform gaming," Nival founder and president Sergey Orlovskiy said in a statement. "We want to help them grow this leadership position, which is very relevant to Nival. We view cross-platform gaming and innovation as two core company values," he continued. The new investment comes after Nival opened a new, Ukraine-based mobile studio last month, and follows Nival's entrance into the ESA trade group in December. Nival isn't the first game maker to show interest in cross-platform development through HTML5 -- companies from YoYo Games and MocoSpace to Zynga and Disney have all invested in the technology in some form of late.