NextBeat - Music Apps & Games
Mobile music-first gaming studio and publisher.
NextBeat is a London-based, music-first gaming studio that spun out of Space Ape Games in January 2025. The company was founded by Simon Hade, co-founder of Space Ape Games, along with Olly Barnes, co-founder of the music-making app Voisey, and Joe Adams as CFO. The venture was created when Supercell fully acquired Space Ape Games, allowing the team behind the successful music rhythm games *Beatstar* and *Country Star* to form a new, dedicated entity. Supercell remains a minority shareholder in NextBeat, which also secured other external investment.
The company's core business revolves around developing and publishing mobile games that blend licensed music with engaging gameplay, creating a new revenue stream for the music industry beyond streaming. Their flagship titles, *Beatstar* and *Country Star*, have achieved significant success, with the *Beatstar* franchise nearing 100 million downloads and generating close to $200 million in lifetime revenue. The business model is free-to-play, with revenue generated from in-app purchases. The company's unique selling point is its deep expertise in navigating the complexities of music licensing, working with over 90 music partners, including major labels and publishers.
In August 2025, the language-learning platform Duolingo acquired the majority of the NextBeat team, consisting of 23 professionals, to enhance its own music education course. This move established Duolingo's first UK office and was described as a strategic talent acquisition. Following this, NextBeat announced that it would cease development and shut down the servers for *Beatstar* and *Country Star* on October 31, 2025. Before the acquisition, NextBeat had plans to expand its portfolio with more genre-focused games and explore opportunities in educational technology and mental health and wellness apps.
Keywords: mobile gaming, music games, rhythm games, game development, game publishing, Beatstar, Country Star, free-to-play, in-app purchases, music licensing, interactive music, ed-tech, wellness apps, Simon Hade, Olly Barnes, Space Ape Games, Supercell, Duolingo, London startup