Animoca Brands has acquired motorsport game maker Grease Monkey Games.
Melbourne, Australia-based Grease Monkey Games makes mobile and PC-based racing games such as Torque Burnout and Torque Drift. Gamers have downloaded its titles more than 45 million times around the world.
Arran Potter, a veteran of the video visual effects industry, started the studio in 2013. The company will add significant game development capabilities to Animoca Brands, which is an investment firm and holding company for multiple blockchain-based game studios.
“We are incredibly excited to be joining the Animoca Brands family and its vision for the future of gaming,” said Potter, in a statement. “With our combined experience and licensed partners, we can build unique digital experiences for the REVV ecosystem. Blockchain technology will play a large part in the future of gaming and the web at large, and I can’t think of a better partner to work with than Animoca Brands.”
In January, Animoca Brands raised $358.8 million at a $5 billion valuation. Animoca Brands has made more than 150 investments.
Grease Monkey Games’ pipeline includes a major cross-platform racing game built in Unreal Engine 5, to be announced shortly. The current management of Grease Monkey Games will continue to operate the company after the acquisition, working closely with Animoca Brands to align efforts relating to blockchain integration, fungible tokens, non-fungible tokens (NFTs), play-to-earn capabilities, synergy opportunities, and product launches, particularly in connection to Animoca Brands’ REVV Motorsport ecosystem.
Yat Siu, co-founder and executive chairman of Animoca Brands, said in a statement, “Animoca Brands is incredibly thrilled to welcome Grease Monkey Games, a team that has experience in developing AAA gaming titles and shares our vision for the open metaverse and, more specifically, for our own REVV Motorsport. Grease Monkey Games not only adds exciting titles to our catalog, but it also significantly enhances our development capabilities.”
Grease Monkey Games started as contract-based company serving global car manufacturers such as Honda, Nissan, Toyota, GM, and Dodge. In 2014 the company shifted gears to developing its own original games.
Grease Monkey Games has an extensive portfolio of licensed partnerships with vehicle manufacturers including Nissan, Toyota, Ford, and BMW, and aftermarket parts manufacturers including Link ECU, Wilwood, and Mishimoto. With a growing roster of professional motorsports athletes such as Adam LZ, Vaughn Gittin Jr., and Mad Mike, and flagship motorsport events such as Formula Drift, RedBull Drift Shifters, and GridLife, Grease Monkey Games connects video game enthusiasts and motorsport fans worldwide.
