Finnish Metacore Games acquires animation studio Piñata
The acquisition of Piñata levels up the mobile game company’s creative storytelling and increases in-house capabilities for high-quality marketing production.
Embarking on a strategic evolution, Metacore Games, the brains behind the mobile game sensation Merge Mansion, has undergone a transformative acquisition, assimilating the illustrious animation and illustration atelier PinataHEL Oy. The purchase, encapsulating the entirety of Piñata’s shares, ushers in a new era for Metacore Games, amplifying their prowess in creative storytelling and fortifying in-house capabilities for producing marketing content characterized by unparalleled quality.
A venerable entity, Piñata has carved a 15-year trajectory as an animation and illustration powerhouse, leaving an indelible mark across diverse sectors, including gaming, advertising, and entertainment. Evolving from single illustrations, they have metamorphosed into purveyors of comprehensive creative storytelling concepts and production.
Metacore Games’ symbiotic collaboration with Piñata traces back to the debut of their inaugural game, Merge Mansion, in 2020. they’ve been our partner in crafting vivid storyboards and animations for iconic ads like “He is alive” and “House on Fire”. Both teams have worked so closely together that more often than not, it has felt like they’re already a part of Metacore’s team.
The acquisition serves as a strategic manoeuvre propelling Metacore, a stalwart among Europe’s rapidly burgeoning mobile game companies, further into the realm of a game studio distinguished by gaming excellence and its ability to weave compelling narratives.
Traditionally, mobile games have been apps on your phone. Our mission is to create entertainment with our games but also with our marketing and community building. Piñata brings us not only animation skills and capabilities, but creative storytelling both for our games and marketing.
says Metacore’s CEO Mika Tammenkoski.
Piñata, a long-standing collaborator, reciprocates the sentiment and is now an integral part of Metacore’s marketing tapestry. The collaboration, poised for mutual enhancement, signifies a progression from visual production to an alliance fostering creative storytelling. Sari Tani, Co-founder of Piñata, envisions a collaborative journey shaping the future narrative of mobile game storytelling.
As customary in such transactions, the financial intricacies remain discreet, shielded from the public eye. Metacore’s pioneering mobile game, Merge Mansion, celebrated for its narrative prowess and captivating advertisements, recently notched a milestone, surpassing 50 million downloads. The strategic expansion to Berlin was unveiled last week, cementing Metacore’s trajectory as a dynamic force in the ever-evolving landscape of mobile gaming.