Acer Gaming presumably plays a bigger role than just providing early funding. It is a strategic investor too, given its reach in the wider gaming industry. As indicated in WinKing’s draft prospectus, in 2022, Acer Gaming secured in Taiwan the agent rights of Sony PlayStation 5 and agency rights of Logitech’s racing simulation equipment, Astro’s gaming headset microphone, Sega’s games, and the gaming accessories of Hori, a leading Japanese brand.
WinKing Studios, one of the IPO aspirants, describes itself as an art outsourcing and game development studio. Led by the executive chairman and CEO Johnny Jan, its main operations are located in China, with a smaller presence in Taiwan, where Jan is from. Singapore, meanwhile, functions as its corporate base.
The company is backed by Acer Gaming, a separately listed subsidiary of Acer, one of Taiwan’s leading computing brands. Before the proposed IPO, Acer Gaming held just over half the shares, with Jan holding another 8.9%.
