Innova
TypeSubsidiary
IndustryVideo games
Founded2006 (2006)
Founders
  • Georgy Chumburidze
  • Armen Gasparyan
  • Vasily Medvedev
  • Oleg Sambikin
  • Gevork Sarkisyan
Headquarters
Moscow
,
Russia
Area served
Russia
ParentEnad Global 7 (2021–2022)
Websiteinn.ru

Innova is a Russian video game publisher and localization company headquartered in Moscow. Games published by the company in Russia include Blade & Soul, Aion, Ragnarok Online, Crowfall, Point Blank, RF Online

History

Innova was founded in 2006 by George Chumburidze (a representative of the Italian yacht shipyard Azimut-Benetti), Armen Gasparyan, Vasily Medvedev, Oleg Sambikin, and Gevork Sarkisyan. In 2009, Sambikin and Medvedev exited the business and founded the developer Syncopate.[1][2][3] At the time of the company's creation, the online games market in Russia was described as a "gray zone": foreign games were mainly adapted by pirates. The first licensed game released by the company was RF Online by the South Korean company CCR.[4][5]

In 2010, Innova released a launcher compatible with all games released by the company. In January 2012, this was replaced by the 4game platform.[6] In December 2010, the company launched the online movie theater Ayyo, which provided video-on-demand and download-to-own paid access to films. In the following years, Ayyo showed both profit and loss, and in March 2017, it was frozen in the midst of the general unprofitability of the Russian online cinema market.[7][8][9]

Investments

In late 2013, Innova bought the exclusive rights to develop KidZania, a Mexican network of game training parks, in Russia, the United States, Canada, and France. The rights were previously held by a subsidiary of the Kuwaiti company M.H. Alshaya Co. Investments in the project, made by Innova shareholders and partner companies, amounted to $2530 million. In January 2016, the first Russian KidZania opened in the shopping center Aviapark on the Khodynka field in Moscow.[1][10] At the end of 2016, the investment advisory firm Winter Capital Partners, associated with Russian businessman Vladimir Potanin, acquired 21.5% of Luxembourg's Innova Partners, the operator of KidZania edutainment parks.[3] Investments were aimed at supporting international expansion: the company plans to open parks in 2018-2019 in Los Angeles, Dallas, Chicago, and Paris in 2018-2019.[3][11][12]

Also in late 2013, Innova became a co-owner of the Russian digital distribution system for legal video content Pladform, founded by Armen Gulyan. Georgy Chumburidze invited Ivan Tavrin as a co-investor in the project. Innova played a role of the project’s financial investor with a smaller control package, with Armen Gulinyan, the founder of Pladform, remaining responsible for the management. In 2016, Pladform merged with the Russian video hosting Rutube, as a result of which 33.3% of the merged company Ruform transferred to Gazprom-Media holding, and the remaining shares were divided between Pladform co-owners.[5][13][14]

The Swedish video game holding company Enad Global 7 wholly acquired Innova in February 25, 2021 with shares worth €109.8 million,[15] the acquisition was finished on March 31, 2021. In 2022, it was sold back to its management for only €32 million as Enad Global 7 decided to exit the Russian market, due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.[16]

Games published

Year Title Developer
2007 RF Online CCR Inc.
2008 R2 Online Webzen
Lineage II NCsoft
2009 Aion
Point Blank Zepetto
2016 Blade & Soul NCsoft
2018 Crowfall ArtCraft
Ragnarok Online Gravity Inc.
Black Desert Online Pearl Abyss
2019 Ironsight Wiple Games

Defunct

Year Title Developer
2008 Ace Online MasangSoft
2009 FreeStyle Street Basketball JC Entertainment
2010 KartRider Nexon
Crazy Arcade BnB
Atlantica Online NDOORS Corporation
Bomzhi Online Adventura
2012 АРВ: Reloaded K2 Network
Shadow Company Doobic Game Studios
2014 Dragon's Prophet Runewaker Entertainment
Chaos Fighters Chengdu Chukong Technology Co
Pocket Fort Noumena Innovations
2015 Astronest ANGames
Ballistic Rumble Entertainment
Earth Keeper Raw Hand
Gladiators Online: Death Before Dishonor Dorado Games
Chibi Kings Ekkorr Games
Tiny Fort Noumena Innovations
Tank Hero Clapfoot Inc
Drakensang Bigpoint
2016 PlanetSide 2 Rogue Planet Games
2017 Kingdom Under Fire II Blueside

References

  1. 1 2 Olga Proskurina (2017-09-19). "Игры по-взрослому: как устроен бизнес российской "Кидзании"" [Games in an adult way: how the business of the Russian "KidZania" is arranged]. Forbes. Retrieved 2018-04-02.
  2. ↑ Roman Kutuzov (2011-09-09). "Пять интернет-проектов, в которые вложились люди, далекие от интернета" [Five Internet projects, which were funded by people who are unfamiliar with the Internet]. Forbes. Retrieved 2018-04-02.
  3. 1 2 3 Наталья Ищенко (2017-03-26). "Фонд, связанный с Потаниным, купил долю в российской Kidzania". Vedomosti. Retrieved 2018-03-12.
  4. ↑ "Миллион до 33 лет: 9 молодых предпринимателей, создавших серьезный бизнес" [Million before 33 years: 9 young entrepreneurs who created a serious business]. Forbes. 2013-06-27. Retrieved 2018-04-02.
  5. 1 2 "Основатель "Вертикали" и игровой компании Innova Георгий Чумбуридзе — о том, как стартап превратить в компанию с миллиардным оборотом" [The founder of "Vertical" and the game company Innova George Chumburidze - about how to turn a start-up into a company with a billion-dollar turnover]. Inc. 2017-08-05. Retrieved 2018-04-02.
  6. ↑ "30 крупнейших компаний Рунета — 2013" [30 largest companies of Runet - 2013]. Forbes. 2013-02-28. Retrieved 2018-04-02.
  7. ↑ Marina Maksimova (2011-02-28). "В рунете разворачивается битва за зрителя" [A battle for the viewer in the Runet]. Gazeta.ru. Retrieved 2018-04-02.
  8. ↑ Ekaterina Bryzgalova (2016-08-04). "Большинство российских онлайн-кинотеатров остаются убыточными" [Most Russian online cinemas remain unprofitable]. Vedomosti. Retrieved 2018-04-02.
  9. ↑ "Открытка: Онлайн-кинотеатр Ayyo перестал работать из-за недостатка денег" [Postcard: Ayyo online cinema stopped working due to lack of money]. Roem.ru. 2017-03-28. Retrieved 2018-04-02.
  10. ↑ Alexandra Mertsalova (2014-04-15). "Вот такой случился цирк" [That's the circus that happened]. Коммерсантъ. Kommersant. Retrieved 2018-04-02.
  11. ↑ "Les parcs qui font travailler les enfants préparent leur arrivée en France" (in French). Le Journal du Dimanche. 2017-06-21. Retrieved 2018-03-12.
  12. ↑ Katherine Clarke (2017-05-17). "Inside the retail apocalypse". The Real Deal. Retrieved 2018-03-12.
  13. ↑ Elena Krauzova (2015-02-17). "Назло пиратам" [To spite the pirates]. RBC. Retrieved 2018-03-12.
  14. ↑ Anna Afanasyeva (2016-02-04). "Платформа для роста" [Platform for growth]. Коммерсантъ. Kommersant. Retrieved 2018-04-02.
  15. ↑ "EG7 Enters Into an Agreement to Acquire Innova Intellectual Properties S.à r.l." (Press release). Enad Global 7. 25 February 2021. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  16. ↑ Obedkov, Evgeny (2022-04-19). "EG7 to sell its Russian subsidiary Innova for €32 million, one year after acquiring it for €110 million". Game World Observer. Retrieved 2023-03-06.
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