Canada-owned Ludia plans to add 50 new jobs and make acquisitions

Under new Canadian management, the mobile game studio Ludia plans to add 50 new jobs this year and possibly make some acquisitions.

That’s what Jimmy Gendron, the new CEO of Ludia, told me in an interview as local Canadian investors and members of the senior management team bought the company back last week. It’s a rare case of unwinding an acquisition and adding more jobs in the shell-shocked game industry.

Los Angeles-based Jam City bought Ludia in 2021 for $165 million to combine two mobile game companies under the same roof. But the game industry has gone through upheavals since then and Ludia was separate from Jam City, which focuses on casual games. Ludia has a bigger focus on midcore games. That eventually led to the decision to separate the companies. The new purchase price was not disclosed.

“This return to independence marks ...