Expanding into Europe, free-to-play game publisher Kabam is opening a new office in Berlin today.
San Francisco-based Kabam, which is rapidly becoming one of the largest social and mobile game companies, plans to hire 50 multilingual employees at its new operations office. Kabam generates almost half of its revenue overseas. That revenue is expected to exceed $270 million in 2013, up from $180 million in 2012.
The company is making hardcore games on mobile and social platforms, from the iPhone to Facebook. Its big titles include Kingdoms of Camelot: Battle for the North, The Hobbit: Kingdoms of Middle Earth, Dragons of Atlantis, and The Godfather: Five Families.
Kabam already has an office in Luxembourg, and the Berlin office will start with a temporary office at boulevard Unter den Linden. It will expand to a permanent location in the coming weeks. The Berlin office will handle live operations and customer support.
“Kabam likes Berlin’s vibrant, international energy,” said Kevin Chou, the company’s chief executive. “Berlin is as good as Silicon Valley, with tech-savvy, creative, multilingual professionals; a big gaming scene; and leading media. Kabam is excited to make a big commitment in Berlin.”
Later this month, Kabam will launch Fast & Furious 6: The Game, its first free-to-play racing title. Kabam has 600 employees, and it has raised a large amount of funding from Google, Warner Brothers, MGM, SK Telecom, Intel, Canaan Partners, Redpoint Ventures, and Pinnacle Ventures.