The creators of the popular mobile rhythm game Beatstar have launched a new music-gaming company called NEXTBEAT. The move follows a restructuring at Space Ape Games, the studio behind Beatstar, in November 2024. Beatstar was developed over five years within Space Ape Games by a team that included Simon Hade, COO and co-founder of the studio, and Olly Barnes, who led music strategy and rights acquisition.
Barnes is also the co-founder of Voisey, a music-making app acquired by Snapchat in 2020. Since its global launch in 2021, Beatstar has been a free-to-play mobile game featuring popular music secured through licensing deals with major labels, indie publishers, and numerous rightsholders. The game has seen significant success, with nearly 100 million downloads and an expected $200 million in lifetime revenue this year.
It has also shared $16 million with music labels and publishers within its first year.
Nextbeat’s dedicated music-focused expansion
Under the new arrangement, Beatstar and its country music-focused successor, Countrystar, will transition to NEXTBEAT, a London-headquartered venture led by Hade and Barnes.
Hade emphasized the importance of a dedicated music-focused venture to fully realize the game’s potential. The spinoff follows Supercell’s investment in Space Ape Games, which began with a $56 million majority stake purchase in 2017 and increased to full ownership in 2022. While Supercell moves to acquire the remaining shares of Space Ape Games, it will retain a minority position in NEXTBEAT alongside other external investors.
NEXTBEAT launches with a 30-person team in London, primarily composed of gaming industry veterans from Space Ape Games. The Beatstar franchise has established itself as the top-grossing music game series in Western markets. It has received industry recognition, including the Players Choice Award, Editors’ Choice, and Game of the Year at the Mobile Game Awards 2022. Looking ahead, NEXTBEAT plans to develop additional genre-focused gaming platforms while exploring opportunities to apply its music licensing and game development expertise in educational technology and mental health sectors.
Supercell’s Chief Strategy Officer expressed enthusiasm for the new venture and the next phase of the music-first business, which NEXTBEAT’s talented team will lead.
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