02.06.2021.

Nordeus to Invest $3M to Launch a Foundation Dedicated to Supporting Education & Announced a Merger with Take-Two Interactive

Helping children to fulfill their potential and become champions in the digital economy of tomorrow.

Nordeus has set up a Foundation, with an initial budget of $3M, to help impact education within Serbia. Building on, and supporting, what other organizations and institutions have already achieved within education, Nordeus Foundation wants to help cultivate creativity and innovation in schools even further by focusing on the quality of learning, and utilization of digital and technology. The Foundation will look to further support an interdisciplinary approach to education that puts children at the center of the learning process.

“Quality education is the foundation of the future success of every child, but also in the sustainable development of our country and society. Improving the quality of education in a way that develops competencies, skills, and knowledge necessary for living in the 21st century, is the responsibility of us all,” said Branko Milutinovic, co-founder, and CEO of Nordeus. “We owe such an education to our children, to help them create a better future, right here in Serbia.”

Nordeus’ Biggest Giving Back investment in its history

Throughout Nordeus’ history, the company has supported many initiatives for children, from early life with our Battle for Babies campaign to create safer environments for mother’s to give birth, to helping to equip Developmental Centers for early diagnostics in health centers, to working with UNICEF Serbia on creating the Halobeba App that supports parents in early childhood development. The overall investment in these initiatives surpassed $1M, therefore, making the investment in Nordeus Foundation the biggest in the company’s history.

In 2017, with a strategic goal of developing a strong, globally competitive digital economy, and with the goal of supporting new generations to prepare for the 4th Industrial revolution, Nordeus co-founded Digital Serbia Initiative (DSI). Just a year later, along with seven other gaming companies, Nordeus co-founded the Serbian Games Association (SGA), a non-profit organization focused on developing the national gaming industry. Both organizations were started with the vision of improving the overall quality of living in Serbia and working in the technology and gaming sectors here. These organizations also made a major impact on the development of multidisciplinary learning and algorithmic thinking in our education, through projects like Master 4.0, the development of specialized IT classes in high schools, and making programming available to all students in elementary schools.

“We are proud of everything we have done over the previous decade. But now we want to focus on the future, and further elevate our business and support the development of our society to a higher level. By starting Nordeus Foundation, and while working with trusted partners, we aim to help in creating an environment that will enable our children to discover and fulfill their potential, interests, and talents, through playing and collaborating with others,” added Branko.

Nordeus continues with its efforts on positioning Serbia on the global map of gaming

The future of Nordeus is an exciting one, and for the long-term ability to support these ambitious plans to impact change, the company has partnered with one of the most creative and innovative companies in the entertainment business, Take-Two Interactive, who have decided to team up with Nordeus. In recognition of all the work that has gone into the company and Top Eleven over the past eleven years, Take-Two sees the company’s flagship product fitting perfectly with games such as Grand Theft AutoCivilizationBioShock, and especially NBA 2K. Nordeus joins the Take-Two family with an aligned vision in what the company has set out to do locally, as well as with the future games and technology that are being made here in Belgrade.

“It’s great news for our country, our city, and our technology community because it’s a validation of the impact that we can have globally as creators and business leaders from Serbia,” continued Milutinović. “With this Take-Two investment, we will be even more potent to compete globally, especially in markets like the USA and China.”

“For more than a decade, Top Eleven has grown its global audience and success through Nordeus’ introduction of live-ops and ongoing gameplay innovations that continue to drive ongoing consumer engagement,” added Michael Worosz, Executive Vice President and Head of Strategy and Independent Publishing for Take-Two. “It’s also incredibly exciting for Take-Two to expand our operations into Serbia and a vibrant, beautiful city such as Belgrade; the local science and engineering talent there is on par with anywhere in the world and the quality of the Nordeus team is a testament to that.”