On October 21, Side, a global game services provider, officially announced the acquisition of Roboto Entertainment, a premier game art studio based in Chengdu, and the establishment of the Side Chengdu Studio based on this acquisition. This marks Side’s second location in mainland China following its Shanghai office and represents a key strategic enhancement to its global art operations.
The price of this deal was not high.Side’s UK subsidiary acquired Roboto’s game art business for up to $65,000. Within the financials of its parent company, Pole To Win, overseas operations outside Japan account for 42.6% of consolidated sales; however, within this overseas segment, the rest of Asia (excluding Japan) accounts for only about 8.6%.Although the transaction amount is small, the signal is clear: this London-based gaming services giant, which originated in Japan, is upgrading China’s role from a “service delivery hub” to a “source of capabilities.”
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(Image source: Side website) (From left to right): Deborah Kirkham, CEO of Side; Andrea Cordella, Head of the Chengdu Studio; Teppei Tachibana, Chairman of Side
An Italian who has lived in Chengdu for twelve years
Andrea Cordella has been a prominent figure in the gaming industry for nearly thirty years. He founded Roboto Entertainment in 2014, focusing on environmental and world-building art for games. The Chengdu team has worked on a wide range of projects, from AAA console titles to casual mobile games.
The studio’s official website describes itself as “a small group of versatile artists.” It positions itself as a boutique game art outsourcing studio, specializing in 3D environment art, lighting, 3D props, and 2D concept art.In client testimonials, the Vehicle Art Director at Milestone (one of the developers of the *Moto GP* and *Forza* series) noted that their assets “match real vehicles very well,” while Jam City’s outsourcing manager, who has worked with Roboto for about two years, described the studio as “extremely reliable and flexible.”
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Image source: Side official website | Overview of the Side Chengdu New Team's Portfolio
Cordella’s remarks in the announcement took on a rare personal tone: “From the moment I met Deborah and the Side team, I knew this company aligned closely with the values that my team and I hold dear.“Games are the only art form in which consumers and creators play equal roles.” He further stated that the pursuit of excellence and a commitment to creativity have always been the team’s guiding principles, and that they will collaborate with teams around the world to incorporate this creativity into every project.
Cordella holds a dual role: he serves as Side’s Global Art Director, overseeing the art teams across Side’s network of studios in EMEA, Asia-Pacific, and the Americas, while also serving as the head of Side’s Chengdu studio. This arrangement means that Chengdu is no longer merely an operational outpost but has become one of the management hubs within Side’s global art system.
Why Chengdu? Why now?
Side cited market factors as the reason: “Although the global gaming industry has slowed in recent years, the Chinese market is projected to grow by 4% in 2026 and reach $59.8 billion by 2030.” According to data from Niko Partners, China’s gaming market revenue reached $51.8 billion in 2025, with player engagement, esports participation, playtime, and player spending all ranking among the highest globally.
CEO Kirkham made another, more direct observation: “Half of the titles featured in this year’s Gamescom Opening Night Live stream came from China, and the whole world took notice. China has long been one of the most important markets in our industry, and I’m proud that our team there is eager for more work—so we’re going to grow.”
In terms of its business portfolio, Side has previously provided Chinese developers with a comprehensive suite of services, including player support, QA, localization, LQA, datasets, co-development, art, and audio.Side’s art team (formerly 1518 Studios) comprises more than 500 artists who have worked on projects such as the *Borderlands* series, *Ghostwalker 2*, *The Call of Io*, and *Overwatch 2*.However, Side’s art capabilities had previously been concentrated more on character art, whereas environment and world-building are precisely Roboto’s areas of expertise. The addition of the Chengdu studio fills this gap, making Side’s service portfolio in the Chinese market even more comprehensive.
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Image source: Roboto Entertainment official website
In addition, during this year’s Gamescom, Side announced a partnership with the AI QA platform Modl.ai to expand its QA business. By strengthening both its art and QA divisions in parallel, Side has demonstrated that its commitment to the Chinese market is not merely a one-off trial but rather a systematic build-up of capabilities.
Deborah Kirkham, CEO of Side, spoke highly of the acquisition: “This is a double-down on a regional strategy that has already proven successful. With Andrea as our Global Art Director and our new studio in Chengdu, we now have the best environment in the industry and the best world-building art talent.”
原创文章，作者：游茶妹儿，禁止转载：https://youxichaguan.com/en/archives/221950
