House Ape Games Unveils New Venture: NextBeat Studio
Game creator House Ape Games has recently unveiled a spin-off team named NextBeat, according to PocketGamer. A variety of employees from House Ape are transitioning to the new studio, with co-founder Simon Hade taking the role of CEO and product manager George Yao serving as the lead for live games.
According to MobileGamer, 30 employees currently comprise NextBeat. Several external developers, including CFO (and former Kepler Interactive employee) Joe Adams, have also joined the team.
NextBeat’s formation occurs as House Ape is expected to be fully acquired by Supercell by the upcoming spring. The Clash of Clans developer previously made an investment in the London studio, which is known for creating BeatStar and Transformers: Earth Wars for mobile devices.
NextBeat is taking BeatStar on tour
According to PocketGamer, the BeatStar and Nation Essential person franchises are also moving over to NextBeat. Hade and co-founder Olly Barnes informed Music Industry Worldwide that the established game has surpassed 100 million downloads globally and is expected to reach over $200 million in total revenue before the end of 2025. Consequently, Hade expressed the necessity to “seize this massive opportunity, immediately.”
“BeatStar showed us that there is significant potential for monetizing music in gaming,” stated Barnes. “The significant mobile gaming audience and ARPU data from Nation Essential person’s genre-specific approach highlighted the need to create a thoroughly resourced company dedicated to this potential.”
As Hade mentioned to Music Industry, NextBeat is seen more as a “dedicated, music-centric initiative” rather than a mobile game developer like House Ape. His ultimate aim is for the new studio to “diversify into more experiences, games, and applications that highlight the inspiration and creativity of our artist collaborators.” Such aspirations, according to the publication, may include ventures into educational technology and mental wellness fields.
Currently, the focus is on expanding BeatStar into additional genres through standalone games. Barnes told MobileGamer that the next “most obvious evolution” could be retro rock, similar to Guitar Hero. Hade expressed similar interest in Latin music, anime soundtracks, and EDM, though he mentioned that some genres might necessitate “slightly different” monetization strategies.
About the Author
Contributing Editor, GameDeveloper.com
Originally from Kansas City, MO, Justin Carter has contributed articles to various publications, including IGN, Polygon, and SyFy Wire. In addition to Game Developer, his work can also be found at io9 over on Gizmodo. Don’t ask him how much gum he’s chewed, as the answer will exceed what he’s willing to admit.