Space Ape spins out new studio NextBeat

Space Ape Games has expanded by establishing new studio NextBeat.

PocketGamer reports Space Ape co-founder and exec Simon Hade has assumed the CEO position, joined by product manager George Yao, head of operations Imogen Turner, and live ops and player manager, Daisy Fletcher.

"Excited to announce that I’m starting a new project that a bunch of us have been cooking up with Supercell for a while now," Hade said in a brief post on LinkedIn.

"Will reveal all soon."

It's thought the studio's portfolio will include Space Ape IPs Beatstar and Country Star.

Supercell - which already owned 62% of Space Ape - increased its investment in Space Ape back in November, acquiring the London-based studio.

This will be Supercell's first office in the UK, with CEO Ilkka Paananen commenting: "We believe the best teams create the best games, so we are really excited to find our place within London's incredibly talented games ecosystem by joining forces with Space Ape."