TheGamingEconomy Daily Digest brings you the trending business stories in gaming. In today’s edition: THQ Nordic expands into Japan; MadBox raises USD$16.5m (£12.7m); and former Zynga CMO Doug Scott joins Twitch.

THQ Nordic expands into Japan

THQ Nordic has formally incorporated THQ Nordic Japan KK, a new international distribution outlet which will be responsible for the distribution and marketing of the publisher's titles in the market. The division is only the second international distributor for the company, following the formation of THQ Nordic Inc, which handles PR and logistics efforts in the US, in 2012. The expansion marks the latest positive development for the Saints Row publisher, following a successful USD$225m (£174m) Series B fund-raise in February this year, and multiple acquisitions in Q1 FY 2020 including Milestone Interactive, Gunfire Games, and Goodbye Kansas Game Invest.

Klemens Kreuzer, managing director of THQ Nordic, said of the expansion: "In our opinion, the only real way to truly embrace the Japanese market is to run it with a team of Japanese professionals, which was our approach for the new Japanese subsidiary. A warm, heartfelt welcome to the entire team based in Tokyo, Japan. Good things come to those who wait and we took our time to realize it with the best setup possible.”

In a separate expansion into the Japanese Market, Anuman Interactive has expanded into the region with the opening of an office in the country. The French publisher is also rebranding under the Microids label. "This new office is part of our policy to expand Microids' international activities and to build on its reputation," said Yves Bléhaut, senior VP of strategic partnerships.

MadBox raises USD$16.5m (£12.7m)

Startup French studio MadBox has raised USD$16.5m (£12.7m) in a Series A funding round led by venture investment fund Alven. The studio specialises in the creation of free-to-play ad-funded mobile titles, such as Dash Valley, StickMan Hook, and Idle Ball Race, with the development strategy generating over 100 million downloads to date for the firm. The funding will be used to expand MadBox's titles including less casual games than their present repertoire.

Speaking to TechCrunch, MadBox CEO and co-founder Jean-Nicolas Vernin said, "“We are a generation of friends who have worked for well-known casual game studios. And we all think that big game productions will have to become simpler so that people can play them like casual games — and vice versa."

Former Zynga CMO Doug Scott joins Twitch

Doug Scott, formerly chief marketing officer at Zynga, has joined Twitch, filling the CMO role that has been vacant since July. Scott has plenty of experience within the gaming industry, having spent three years in the role at Zynga, alongside his previous role of VP of marketing and revenue at mobile studio DeNA.

In a statement announcing the appointment, Twitch COO Sara Clemens said, "Doug has deep experience extending brands into new markets across games and entertainment industries, making him the ideal fit to lead Twitch’s marketing strategy. As Twitch continues to grow, Doug will play an integral role in extending the brand beyond endemic audiences, supporting our incredible creators and expanding our presence in global markets."