This merger follows the recent launch of Amber Mexico, which opened its doors in Guadalajara in February. With a team of 15 full-time employees, KaraOkulta is a developer and publisher of mobile games and apps. KaraOkulta had collaborated with Amber in late 2019 on physics-based casual game Toy Blitz and the partnership was such a mutually beneficial enterprise, that the two companies decided to join forces.
Guadalajara, the second biggest city in Mexico and known for its vibrant gaming community, is the base for tech hub Ciudad Creativa Digital, which will host the newly established studio. Seen as the “Silicon Valley” of Mexico, Guadalajara is becoming a world-class hub of digital media development.
“Amber is always looking for outstanding talent and the team at KaraOkulta impressed us when we worked together last year,” said Mihai Pohontu, CEO of Amber. “The merger strengthens the product development capabilities of Amber Mexico and represents another step forward in our strategy to forge a vibrant game development ecosystem in Guadalajara. We’re excited at the game development opportunities that await our combined studio organizations.”
"Amber es una gran compañía con el trabajo cual, y han probado durante años que tienen lo necesario para ponernos en el escenario internacional", dijo Jorge Suárez, Fundador de KaraOkulta. "Estamos encantados con esta fusión, la cual debe abrirnos oportunidad muchas en la comunidad de juegos locales y consolidar a Guadalajara como un centro de juegos".
Founded in 2013, Amber is the largest independent video games company in Romania and has shown consistent growth over the last three years, opening two new offices (Botoșani and Guadalajara) and acquiring a Romanian indie developer (Scorpius Games) recently. The company offers a full array of game development services to top game publishers, while also developing its own games. Headquartered in Bucharest, Amber has a team of over 450 staff, including its studios in San Francisco and Los Angeles. Amber Mexico is the next step in the agency’s growth, boosting its creative and services capacity while providing a time zone aligned solution to its partners in North America.
Recruitment for the new studio has already begun in order to reach the target of 100 staff by the end of the year. Amber is recruiting across all game development disciplines, with an emphasis on art, design, engineering and testing. Applicants can find further details on Amber’s Careers page.
Amber partners with brands including Disney, NBC Universal, Paradox Interactive, Rovio, That Game Company, and Raw Fury among others.