From Startup To Incubator: Games Publisher HitFox Launches HitFox Game Ventures

Hitfox, the Berlin and San Francisco-based games publisher founded by serial entrepreneurs Jan Beckers, Tim Koschella, Ruben Haas, Hanno Fichtner, along with Team Europe, is venturing into the incubator space with the launch of HitFox Game Ventures. The new enterprise will stick to a tight vertical brief of investing in and acquiring startups in the video game sales, publishing and marketing space.

Specifically, HitFox says it will offer seed money in the “six-figure” range, as well as applying its experience in game publishing and distribution, sharing the founders’ own networks, and (presumably) resources. To that end, CEO Jan Beckers is talking up HiFox’s team of 55 gaming, marketing and IT specialists that it’s put together over the last 12 months. In other words, on the surface at least, it looks like a pretty hands-on and active incubator in the making, done German-style, dare I say. It aims to acquire or establish at least two businesses per year.

“Taking on the role of incubator, we are now using this momentum and rapport with customers to support other game publishing startups.”, says Beckers.

As for how HitFox itself is performing, the startup, which was founded in May 2011 and whose backers include Tengelmann Group, Hasso Plattner Ventures, Kite Ventures and Digital Pioneers, says it expects to reach a “seven-figure monthly turnover” and — more importantly, perhaps — break even sometime this year.

In February 2012, HitFox acquired Ad2Games (Chili Entertainment), Germany’s largest advertising network for online games.