Winking Studios Completes Ampera Acquisition, Appoints Former Keywords Studios Exec as CRO

Winking Studios completes Ampera acquisition on 1 April 2026

Winking Studios Limited has closed its acquisition of all the issued and outstanding shares in Studios Ampera Inc. Completion took place on 1 April 2026 under the terms of the Share Purchase Agreement.

The RNS confirms the deal is now done, but it does not restate consideration, financial terms or forecasts. Those details sit in the company’s 27 March 2026 announcement, which isn’t repeated here.

Seasoned hire: former Keywords Studios leader joins as Chief Revenue Officer

With completion, Claude Bordeleau joins Winking as Chief Revenue Officer, reporting directly to Founder and CEO Johnny Jan. He will lead the Group’s global commercial strategy across Western markets.

Why this matters: CRO is the point person for pipeline, pricing and cross-sell. Bringing in an experienced operator from a major games services peer signals a push to accelerate growth where it counts – winning and expanding Western client relationships.

What Winking Studios does and how big it is today

Winking is a dual-listed games services and development company (AIM and SGX: WKS), headquartered in Singapore. It provides end-to-end game art outsourcing, game development and other gaming services across platforms.

• Three segments: Art Outsourcing, Game Development, and Global Publishing & Other Services.
• Footprint: 14 studios across Taipei, Nanjing, Suzhou, Dalian, Tianjin, Shanghai, Quebec and Kuala Lumpur.
• Scale: over 1,400 employees.
• Client quality: serves 22 of the top 25 global game publishers.
• Track record: over 25 years of experience.

Strategic take: why the Ampera deal and CRO hire matter

Closing the Ampera acquisition gives Winking an additional platform to deepen client relationships and broaden services. While the RNS does not spell out Ampera’s capabilities here, completion removes deal uncertainty and moves the narrative on to integration and execution.

The CRO appointment is the immediate catalyst. Western markets are where premium budgets and longer-dated service contracts sit. A focused revenue leader should help:

• Sharpen go-to-market in North America and Europe.
• Unlock cross-sell between Art Outsourcing, Game Development and Publishing.
• Tighten pricing discipline and pipeline visibility.
• Drive scalability across Winking’s 14-studio network.

In short, the combination of a completed acquisition plus a high-calibre commercial lead is a clear growth signal.

Key facts from today’s RNS

What’s not disclosed here (and why that matters)

This RNS focuses on completion and the CRO hire. It does not disclose:

• Purchase consideration, structure or earn-outs.
• Studios Ampera’s revenue, profit or margins.
• Expected synergies, integration costs or timetable.
• Updated guidance or pro forma numbers.

Without those, investors cannot yet quantify dilution or accretion. Expect the market to look for detail in the 27 March 2026 announcement and in the next set of results or a post-deal trading update.

Risks and what to watch next

• Integration execution – retaining Ampera’s talent and clients, aligning systems and delivery standards.
• Commercial traction in Western markets – evidence of new wins, upsells and improved visibility.
• Margin discipline – whether scale and cross-sell offset any integration costs.
• Disclosure – clarity on consideration and financial contribution to gauge the economic impact.

On governance, note the statement that the information is deemed inside information under the UK’s retained Market Abuse Regulation. That’s standard for price-sensitive updates and implies management sees this as material.

How I’m reading it: constructive, with numbers still to come

This is a tidy, positive step: deal completed on time and a heavyweight CRO installed to push Western revenue. Given Winking’s scale – 14 studios and a blue-chip client list – there’s a clear platform to monetise with a more assertive commercial engine.

The missing piece is hard data on Ampera’s financials and deal terms. Until we see that, the market will give some credit for strategy but reserve judgement on valuation impact. Near-term share reaction may hinge on confidence in the new CRO’s ability to convert Winking’s relationships into larger, longer contracts.

Bottom line: strategically encouraging, operationally actionable, financially unquantified for now. The next disclosure with numbers will be the real test.