LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Viber, one of the world’s leading messaging apps with more than 600 million users worldwide, today announced the acquisition of Nextpeer, the leading provider of a cross platform social layer for mobile game developers. The move is part of Viber’s long-term strategy to invest in and retain the top talent in the tech space, as the business continues to grow its global user-base.
Nextpeer is known for its pioneering software development kit that enables game developers to add multiplayer features and a social layer to any game. Having recently launched its own gaming service, Viber will tap into Nextpeer’s expertise to increase engagement in Viber Games and help users to discover new content on the platform.
“We are delighted to welcome the Nextpeer team to the Viber family,” said Michael Shmilov, COO, Viber. “In this deal, we looked for a team that shares our passion, drives innovative thinking and brings its expertise in building an open platform for developers.”
"Nextpeer's vision is to bring social experiences to mobile players,” said Shai Magzimof, Co-Founder and CEO, Nextpeer. “We are teaming up with Viber to help connect players on mobile and deliver a powerful social platform for developers. We are all very excited to join the Viber team."
Nextpeer was founded in 2011. Based in Tel Aviv, Nextpeer’s 12-person team will all become Viber employees with immediate effect. Nextpeer’s SDK and services will remain available, and will be enhanced to create new opportunities and functionalities through the Viber eco-system. Nextpeer was acquired by Viber for $9MM.
About Viber
Viber is a leading messaging, voice and video service that lets everyone in the world connect. Freely. Users can send free text messages, fun stickers, photos, videos and doodles, share locations, make free HD-quality calls and communicate with Push-To-Talk. With Viber Out, users can make low-cost calls to any phone number around the world. Viber is available for iPhone®, iPad®, Android™ phones and tablets, Windows Phone, Windows®, Windows 8®, Mac and Linux devices over 3G/4G or WiFi connections. With over 600 million unique users in 193 countries, Viber is constantly innovating by introducing new platforms and adding fun new features like Public Chats. Viber is a Rakuten Group company.
###