Kakao Games headquarters in Pangyo, Gyeonggi Province / Courtesy of Kakao Games

Kakao Games announced Wednesday that it has invested $20 million in U.S.-based independent game developer Frost Giant Studios in line with efforts to increase its global profile.

The game affiliate of Kakao, which operates South Korea's most-used mobile messenger KakaoTalk, said it made the investment through its European corporation, Kakao Games Europe B.V.

The investment is part of $25 million in a Series A funding round participated in by other investors, including Bitkraft Ventures, Global Founders Capital and Riot Games.

Frost Giant Studios, founded in 2020 by industry leaders Tim Morten and Tim Campbell, is currently developing its first real-time strategy (RTS) game, which is expected to be released later this year.

"Frost Giant Studio has already proven that it has strong development capabilities as its developers have created popular RTS hits on the global market in the past," Kakao Games CEO Cho Kye-hyun said in a press release, adding the company was looking forward to actively working together to showcase exceptional creations through a close partnership.

Morten previously worked as a production director for Blizzard Entertainment's "StarCraft 2" and Campbell worked as a lead campaign designer for "Warcraft 3." (Yonhap)