Irish games firm buys Chinese company

Irish-founded computer games services firm Keywords Studios has extended its presence in Asia with the $6m (€5.3m) purchase of Shanghai-based company Strongbox.

Strongbox trades as Red Hot, has bases in China and Indonesia and is a specialist in the production of graphical art for use in video games. The company had profits of $900,000 last year and revenues of $5.4m and is targeting further strong growth this year. Its clients include Sony and leading game developers Bethesda and Capcom.

Its purchase further enhances Keywords’ range of services, according to chief executive Andrew Day.