Invincibles Studio

What Invincibles Studio does

Invincibles Studio Ltd is a privately held independent mobile games studio founded in 2004 in Preston, England, by four UCLAN graduates, with a team of 50+ employees. The studio specializes in football-themed mobile gaming, anchored by its flagship Soccer Manager series (now in its tenth single-player iteration) and expanded in 2026 with Champions Elite Football 2026 and FC Manager 26. Core technology centers on a proprietary Match Motion 3D engine (Unity-based) delivering fluid player animations and physics, paired with the proprietary Soccerwiki.org player database covering 23,000+ players and community-contributed data packs. Commercial differentiation rests on an elite licensing stack: an exclusive worldwide FIFPRO license (25,000+ players), multi-year DFL/Bundesliga worldwide rights, and official partnerships with Manchester City, Inter Milan, and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The studio operates a freemium go-to-market distributed through the Apple App Store, Google Play, and Steam (reintroduced in 2024), combining free-to-play base access with annual-paid Ultimate Edition (10,000 gold, agent fees removed, multi-save slots) and Enhanced Edition tiers, plus in-app virtual goods and a third-party advertising layer (Unity Ads, IronSource, Tapjoy, Vungle, Google AdMob). Distribution is global across 190+ countries with cumulative downloads exceeding 86 million and Soccer Manager users above 50 million. Marketing is community-led, leveraging an 80,000+ member Discord server and 30,000+ community beta testers, supplemented by a flagship Mikel Arteta brand ambassadorship and podcast/grassroots activation through Sport Social. GTM also carries a strong product-led annual release cadence with pre-registration reward mechanics.

The company is founder-controlled (CEO & Co-founder Chris Gore, with Executive Chairman Nick Wheelwright, former Codemasters CEO) and has raised £4M in equity across two rounds (£3M in July 2021 and £1M in April 2023) from NPIF – Mercia Equity Finance to support new game launches rather than fund operating losses. Historical growth indicators are positive - revenue reportedly doubled over the two years to April 2023 and grew 80%+ since the September 2021 SM21 launch - though no current ARR is publicly disclosed.

Name

Invincibles Studio

Legal name

Invincibles Studio Ltd

Website

https://invinciblesstudio.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Invincibles Studio is an independent UK mobile games studio founded in 2004 that develops and publishes football management and action games for global iOS, Android, and Steam audiences under the Soccer Manager brand and newer titles Champions Elite Football and FC Manager.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mobile Sports Simulation Games

NAICS

Amusement Arcades (713120)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Sports/Racing Game Studios (MPAFAAAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Strategy/4X/Management Game Studios (MPAFAAAK)

Keywords

• Mobile football games
• Football management simulation
• Soccer manager games
• Sports simulation games
• Freemium mobile gaming

Headquarters

HQ city

Preston

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Virtual Items and In-App Purchases: Freemium model with purchasable virtual items including virtual goods, virtual coins, tokens, points, and premium currencies. Players can purchase Ultimate Edition and Enhanced Edition with additional features, gold, boosts, and save slots.
2. Premium Game Editions: Ultimate Edition and Enhanced Edition sold as yearly purchases with benefits including extra save slots, gold, boosts, cash tokens, and agent fee removal for Ultimate Edition.
3. Advertising Revenue: Games supported by third-party advertising and marketing, working with advertising agencies including Unity Ads, IronSource, Tapjoy, and Vungle.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Invincibles Studio designs, develops, and publishes mobile football management simulation games such as Soccer Manager 2026, Champions Elite Football 2026, FC Manager 26, and Soccer Manager Worlds, distributed globally via the Apple App Store, Google Play, and Steam under a freemium model augmented by annual premium editions, in-app virtual items, and in-game advertising.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Soccer Manager 2026: Football management game where players take charge of clubs and real players, navigate transfers, featuring new 3D Match Motion visual engine.
• Champions Elite Football 2026
• FC Manager 26
• Soccer Manager Worlds

Products and services

• Soccer Manager 2026 Annual football management simulation in which players take charge of real licensed clubs, manage transfers, tactics, and competitions across domestic and international play. Built on the proprietary Match Motion 3D engine with over 300 new animations and improved player models.
• Champions Elite Football 2026 Football action game in which players build dream teams of real soccer stars and command passes, tackles, and goals through rising divisions, available on Android and iOS.
• FC Manager 26 Football manager game in which players create their own club, sign football stars, build world-class facilities, and implement tactics to compete against other football managers on Android and iOS.
• Soccer Manager Worlds Multiplayer online football management game produced by Invincibles Studio, listed as an active title on the studio website.

Quantifiable outcome

• 86M+ total downloads across all games
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration17 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship, minor and secondary.

• Sport Social Podcast NetworkcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 16 September 2025Multi-channel launch campaign for Soccer Manager 2026 combining podcast storytelling, video, in-game integrations, and grassroots initiatives. Sport Social and Undr The Cosh podcast embedded as sponsors within Create a Club mode.
• FIFPROcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExclusive worldwide FIFPRO license providing freedom to use the likeness and image rights of 25,000+ players within the game. Long-standing partnership providing authentic licensed content.
• DFL (German Bundesliga)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-year licensing agreement with Deutsche Fußball Liga including worldwide Bundesliga rights. Official badges and kits included in-game.
• Manchester City FCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-year licensing agreement with Manchester City bringing official club badges and kits into the game. Partnership announced with Soccer Manager 2024.
• Mikel ArtetaflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrand ambassador partnership with Arsenal manager returning for fourth year with Soccer Manager 2024. Represents the face of the Soccer Manager series brand.
• SpecialEffectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCharity partnership supporting gaming accessibility. Studio participates in Special Effect's Football Fives tournament annually to raise funds for the charity that helps people with disabilities play video games.
• Inter MilansecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial partnership with Inter Milan football club, bringing club licensing into the game.
• Wolverhampton Wanderers FCsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Wolverhampton Wanderers football club for club licensing in Soccer Manager games.
• SpecialEffectminorOthersCharity partner that champions inclusion in gaming through technology, working on innovative solutions for people with physical challenges. Annual participation in Football Fives tournament.

Scale indicators18 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Sports Interactive: Developer of Football Manager, the leading football management simulation franchise directly competing with Soccer Manager in club and player management, transfer negotiations, and tactical gameplay on PC and mobile.
• Nordeus: Developer of Top Eleven, the dominant freemium mobile football management game. Operates an identical free-to-play, mobile-first, IAP-driven model serving the same football manager enthusiast segment.

Broad incumbents

• Electronic Arts: Owner of EA FC Mobile and the global EA Sports football franchise. A much larger incumbent competing in mobile football gaming with substantially greater marketing budgets and license portfolios.
• Konami: Operator of eFootball and the historic PES/Pro Evolution Soccer franchise. A long-established competitor in football simulation mobile gaming with significant brand recognition and licensed content.
• SEGA: Publisher of the Football Manager series through Sports Interactive. A broader incumbent publishing multiple sports and entertainment franchises, including the most direct competitor to Soccer Manager.

Emerging players

• Football Mogul: Developer of small-scale American football management simulation games. A niche competitor in the sports management genre focused on a single sport and primarily desktop distribution.
• Big Ant Studios: Australian sports simulation developer (Rugby League, cricket, tennis). Comparable as a focused, multi-title sports game studio creating management and simulation titles across multiple platforms.

Others

• Scopely: Major mobile game publisher with multiple hit titles (Monopoly GO, Stumble Guys, WWE Champions). Comparable as a mobile-first game operator addressing similar scale challenges and platform dynamics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/InvinciblesStu
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCeFFbS4jp0p0na6r-afGWlQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/InvinciblesStudio
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/invincibles-studio-ltd
• Instagraminstagram.com/invinciblesgames
• TikToktiktok.com/@invinciblesgames

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Invincibles Studio