This entry into the capital will allow Blacknut to “to continue its international expansion, to continue its R&D investments and to enrich its catalog“, can we read. Against a subscription of 15 euros per month, Blacknut offers access to more than 500 games on all kinds of screens, from computers to mobiles and connected TVs, without installation or download.
The participation of Square Enix would also not hurt a catalog that is still not very impactful, even if Blacknut claims for the moment a rather family audience. Its biggest partners are currently called Focus, Daedalic, Team17, SNK, Deep Silver or Nacon. The statement, however, does not confirm any concrete action for players and simply states that Blacknut will be able to “benefit from the considerable experience and knowledge of Square Enix“.
It’s less obvious what Square Enix can get out of this short-term investment, but the Japanese publisher’s interest in cloud gaming is nothing new. In 2014, the publisher founded the subsidiary Shinra Technologies and entrusted the responsibility to its former CEO Yoichi Wada, to begin tests on the question. After only one year, faced with the lack of interest from investors, Square Enix announced the closure of this subsidiary whose only feat of arms was to record a loss of 2 billion yen (14 million euros) .
Despite this failure, the notion of cloud gaming has never left Square Enix’s discourse. In early 2021, alongside Sony and Tencent, the publisher for example invested in Ubitus, whose GameCloud technology provides games like Control, Hitman 3, Guardians of the Galaxy, A Plague Tale: Innocence and Edge of Eternity on Switch .
Blacknut, whose number of subscribers has not been disclosed, is currently available in 45 countries across Europe, North America and Asia, knowing that the platform is preparing its expansion in Latin America and the Middle -East. According to Le Figaro, the first projects between Blacknut and Square Enix should emerge in 2023.
“The decision of the Japanese firm to invest in Blacknut is a confirmation: that of our vision, that of our technology and that of our approach to the market. As gamers continue to shift away from physical formats, Square Enix has seen the potential of Cloud Gaming, which offers new gaming experiences through streaming“said Olivier Avaro, CEO of Blacknut.
“Blacknut is a company at the forefront of Cloud Gaming, with a unique combination of technical expertise and a true vision for the future of gaming… We are excited about the potential of Cloud Gaming and this partnership will allow us not only to stay at the forefront of new developments in this area and also to accelerate our future growth“, adds Hideaki Uehara, director of economic development at Square Enix.