Mercia Fund Management is kicking off the new football season with a £300,000 investment in Soccer Manager. Soccer Manager Ltd. is the UK-based independent studio behind the popular online multiplayer football management game, SoccerManager.com, which was released in 2006.
Soccer Manager will use the investment to finalise production of new sports related titles, grow existing development capacity and gain third party support and expertise. Industry expert and former Director of Brand Marketing at SEGA, Matt Eyre, has now become involved in this exciting project to help grow the Soccer Manager brand.
The business is just one of Mercia Fund Management’s growing portfolio of gaming companies which benefit from both investment and also sector expertise from former SEGA CEO Mike Hayes (Mercia Investment Director) and ex-Codemasters MD Nick Wheelwright (Mercia Investment Panel member).
Andrew Gore, CEO of Soccer Manager said: “We are excited to be working with Mercia Fund Management due to their significant industry experience and strong network of contacts.”
Mike Hayes, head of Mercia Fund Management’s Digital Division added: “The UK is undoubtedly among the world leaders in key digital industries including the fast evolving games sector. With over nine million people registered on SoccerManager.com since its launch and over 600,000 app downloads since December 2014, this is already proving to be a popular game.
“The vision behind the project and proven success to date makes Soccer Manager an ideal addition to our diversified portfolio of innovative gaming companies with disruptive technologies.”
Mercia recently launched the Mercia Digital Fund uses the hybrid structure for tax-efficient investing via the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) and Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS). Mercia invests in a diversified portfolio of innovative digital companies with high growth potential.