Viber, the popular messaging and VoIP app, has acquired mobile social gaming startup Nextpeer for $9 million. This is Viber’s acquisition and will help the company expand its reach into the gaming market. Nextpeer’s technology will be integrated into Viber’s game app, allowing users to play games with each other in real time.
Viber already has a large user base, with over 820 million users worldwide. The acquisition of Nextpeer will help it tap into the growing mobile gaming market. Nextpeer was founded in 2011 and has raised $2.5 million in funding. The startup’s team will join Viber, which has over 200 employees. The acquisition is a strategic move for Viber as it looks to compete with larger messaging apps like WhatsApp and WeChat.
It's not clear yet how Viber plans to integrate Nextpeer's technology, but the acquisition is a clear signal that the company is looking to expand its offerings and keep users engaged. Probably, the acquisition is one of Viber's steps in the gaming space and is in line with the company's goal of becoming a "one-stop-shop" for messaging and social media.
With the addition of gaming, Viber will be able to keep users engaged for longer periods of time. This is a win-win for both companies as Viber gets a foothold in the gaming market, and Nextpeer gets access to Viber’s large user base. In turn, users will have another reason to keep using the app, and advertisers will have another avenue to reach users.
The acquisition also signifies that Viber is looking to move beyond messaging and into other areas of social media and entertainment. This is a smart move, as messaging apps are becoming increasingly saturated. In order to keep growing, Viber will need to continue to innovate and add new features that keep users coming back.