Keywords Studios CEO Bertrand Bodson. Image: Keywords Studios
San Francisco’s Helpshift has developed a customer support automation tool used by Zynga, Tencent and Supercell.
Dublin-based Keywords Studios has reached a conditional agreement to acquire customer support platform Helpshift for up to $75m.
The latest acquisition from the gaming services giant is aimed at enhancing its player support and engagement capability.
Helpshift is headquartered in San Francisco, with offices in India and the UK. Founded in 2010, the company has developed a customer support automation tool that is used by big players in gaming such as Zynga, Supercell and Tencent.
The technology aims to efficiently manage and resolve customer support issues in real time within clients’ mobile apps by combining conversational AI, automation, translation and agent support.
Keywords said that Helpshift is “highly complementary” to the company’s existing support offering and the acquisition will enable Keywords to cover the full spectrum of support needs across mobile apps, social platforms, consoles and XR experiences.
“We have seen first-hand the power of their technology and its ability to improve player engagement and retention,” said Keywords Studios CEO Bertrand Bodson.
“We believe being able to deliver a holistic player experience solution will be a compelling offering for our clients and further support our strategic partnership ambitions with them.”
Founded in Ireland in 1998, Keywords Studios has grown to encompass more than 70 facilities in 24 countries across Asia, Australia, the Americas and Europe.
Its clients include some of the biggest names in gaming such as Activision Blizzard, Microsoft, Epic Games, Ubisoft, Konami and Electronic Arts.
A former Technology Ireland Company of the Year, Keywords has been on an acquisition spree recently, announcing plans to snap up Vancouver-based game development studio Smoking Gun in September.
This came soon after it acquired Australia’s Mighty Games to bring AI-based game testing services to its clients and bolster its presence in Australia. In June, it shared plans to acquire games development studio Forgotten Empires in a deal worth up to $32.5m.
“Helpshift is thrilled to join Keywords, and we believe that by becoming part of the group we will drive the long-term growth of our platform and create tremendous value for our customers,” added Helpshift CEO Eric Vermillion.
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