Blog post

Scopely acquires PierPlay game studio

Co-creator of #1 most-downloaded word game in the world Scrabble® GO, this talented development team joins Scopely’s growing studio ecosystem

Today, we’re pleased to announce the acquisition of game development studio and longtime Scopely partner, PierPlay. Since 2016, Scopely and PierPlay have collaborated on “the greatest word game of all time -- reimagined,” Scrabble® GO. The game, launched last month, quickly became the biggest word game launch ever as the #1 most-downloaded word game in the world.

PierPlay was founded in 2016 by a group of game makers who created Playtika’s Bingo Blitz (formerly Buffalo Studios). The group decided to take on a new, social PvP adventure -- first partnering with Scopely on the SCRABBLE® IP for the creation of Scrabble® GO. Following the launch of the game, the PierPlay team has transitioned to an unannounced product in the Scopely slate, as an additional Scopely Studio based in Barcelona continues to deliver new experiences for Scrabble® GO.

“The trusted partnership we have built with PierPlay over the last few years coupled with the team’s creative skills and expertise has undoubtedly led to the massive outcome we’ve seen with Scrabble® GO -- more than 60% of our players are playing seven days a week, connecting with others for a highly-social experience,” said Tim O’Brien, Chief Revenue Officer at Scopely. “Our studio ecosystem, which includes both internal and external creative leaders, is built upon the goal of working with the world’s best talent to create the most immersive experiences possible. PierPlay is another example of a unique studio relationship that allowed us to successfully tackle a different game genre and IP. This acquisition is the culmination of an outstanding long-term partnership that we believe will continue to flourish as we welcome PierPlay as a Scopely Studio and build more ambitious projects together. We are thrilled to have this impressive group of game makers part of our team.”

PierPlay co-founder and Chief Executive Lorenzo Nuvoletta will continue to manage the game studio, which will combine forces with other game makers in the Scopely ecosystem to take on even more projects together.
“We partnered with Scopely in 2016 to build the best word game imaginable and the experience of co-creating with the team has been incredibly collaborative and rewarding,” said Nuvoletta, co-founder & Chief Executive of PierPlay. “The success we've seen with Scrabble® GO has been amazing and we look forward to tackling more exciting projects in the development slate. We’ve loved being part of the Scrabble® GO game team and formalizing our relationship allows us to participate even more in Scopely’s great culture. Having experienced the momentum and growth of the business firsthand, we are extremely excited to officially be part of Scopely.”

PierPlay joins Scopely’s dynamic studio ecosystem of creative talent, part of the company’s global ecosystem of world-class game makers. Scopely focuses on building game teams with incredible talent density where the traditional boundaries between developer and publisher are eliminated -- operating as a single team. Game teams can include internal Scopely Studios, such as DIGIT, FoxNext Games, and now PierPlay, and/or external partner studios, which currently span seven countries across the globe. 

Welcome, PierPlay!