Krafton Acquires 5minLab, Developer of 'Smash Legends'

[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] Krafton announced on the 11th that it acquired the domestic game developer 5minLab through an unout method for 23.8 billion KRW, securing 100% of the shares.

5minLab, established in 2013, is an independent game developer that has built capabilities in cross-platform game development and service through the action PvP mobile game "Smash Legends."

Krafton cited two reasons for choosing a small domestic mobile game developer as its first acquisition target in 2022: ▲ talented individuals who have grown by accumulating meaningful experience over a long period ▲ proven technological capabilities through collaboration with large corporations.

5minLab has been managing live services for games based on Japanese famous manga intellectual property (IP) in Thailand, Taiwan, and other regions for five years, directly developing localized clients and servers. Additionally, it developed a live quiz show broadcasting system within Thailand's Line service and has been recognized for its technology by supplying augmented reality and virtual reality (AR/VR) software and content to multiple large corporations and broadcasters.

Park Moon-hyung, CEO of 5minLab, said, "Krafton is a representative global success case of a Korean game company, but it is a company that continues to grow by strengthening its technological capabilities without being complacent. I believe that 5minLab's global operational experience and technological capabilities will help Krafton leap forward as a 'company focused on the essence of games.'"

Kim Chang-han, CEO of Krafton, said, "We judged that 5minLab, which has continuously challenged and grown since its founding in 2013, can share the important goal of 'game development' with Krafton. Through this acquisition of 5minLab, Krafton has secured an independent studio and development personnel with strong technological capabilities and will actively support them to focus on new game development."

5minLab, with the motto "a laboratory that makes the world enjoyable in 5 minutes," has steadily grown with engineers from KAIST and Yonsei University and a solid organizational structure. It has attracted multiple Series A investments and develops and services games such as "Smash Legends," "Kkomo: Nyangi Tracker," "Brickscape," and "Express Thru."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.