Side opens Chengdu studio after Roboto Entertainment acquisition
The games services provider has acquired Roboto Entertainment and appointed founder Andrea Cordella to lead its global art division.
Side is expanding its presence in China with a new Chengdu studio and the acquisition of Roboto Entertainment, a games art provider founded by Andrea Cordella in 2014. The deal gives the services company a larger base for environment and world-building work across console and mobile projects, according to Side’s announcement. 1
Cordella becomes Side’s global head of art as well as studio head for the new Chengdu office. He said the two companies shared a commitment to creativity and that the combined team would collaborate with developers across the world. Side CEO Deborah Kirkham described the acquisition as a regional growth move, pointing to China’s importance to the games business.
What we know
Roboto Entertainment is based in Chengdu and has worked on AAA and AA games, specialising in environment and world-building art. The new team will work with Side’s Shanghai location and the company’s wider network across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. 1
Side also highlighted its existing services, including player support, quality assurance, localisation, audio, art and co-development. The company recently announced an AI-enabled QA partnership with Modl.ai, but that agreement is separate from the Roboto acquisition rather than part of the deal itself. 2
The announcement arrives as Side continues building its presence in Asia. Earlier this year, it opened a studio in Taipei, while the Chengdu move adds specialist art leadership and another base in mainland China. GamesIndustry.biz reported that Niko Partners expects China’s games market to grow in 2026, although that market forecast is context rather than a term of the acquisition. 2
Our opinion
The important part of this deal is not simply the extra office on the map. Side is buying a specialist art team and putting its founder in charge of a global division, which suggests it wants the new studio’s craft and relationships to travel beyond China. That makes the move more meaningful than a routine regional expansion, though its success will depend on the projects the combined team actually wins and ships.
For developers, the pitch is clear: Side can offer local access in China while adding an established environment-art group to its wider production network. The announcement proves the structure is in place; it does not yet prove how much new work the acquisition will generate.