Invincibles Studio has raised a further £1m as it seeks to launch new titles.
The company, which has recently moved its head office from Preston to Leeds is hoping to build on the success of Soccer Manager, which now has more than 50m registered users.
“Our vision for Soccer Manager was to create a truly immersive game that uses real football players and is genuinely free to play,” said Chris Gore, CEO.
“With the support of our investors, we have continued to enhance it over the years and attract a global audience. Following two years of strong growth, we are excited to be working on two new football games and look forward to unveiling them in the year ahead.”
The money comes from NPIF – Mercia Equity Finance and Mercia’s own funds.
Mercia was one of the first supporters of Soccer Manager with a loan in 2013, and has continued to back it financially, most recently in 2021 when it invested £3m.
“The games market is one of the fastest growing in the world, and Invincibles has become one of the leading independent football games studios within that,” explained Julian Viggars of Mercia.
“Following the global success of Soccer Manager, this latest investment will enable the studio to build on its reputation and reach an even wider audience with the launch of new games.”
Invincibles was founded in 2004 by brothers Chris (CEO), Steven and Andy Gore and their friend Peter Adams.
Johnny Coghlan, who oversaw the development and launch of hit mobile game franchises including Angry Birds and Cut The Rope, is now CMO.
The company is chaired by Nick Wheelwright, former CEO of Codemasters and founder of Playground games.
It employs 55 staff in Preston and Leeds.
The Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund project is supported financially by the European Union using funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020 and the European Investment Bank.
