Duolingo has acquired the maker of The Beatstar, NextBeat. The London studio was spun out of Space Ape back in January 2025.
With this move, Duolingo is investing in making its Music course as fun and joyful as the best mobile games in the market.
“Learning should be just as engaging as playing a great game, whether you’re practicing a new language or playing a favorite song.
This is a strategic bet on talent. The NextBeat team brings deep mobile gaming and music industry expertise, which will make our Music course and the entire Duolingo platform more delightful, immersive, and effective.”
Bob Meese, Chief Business Officer at Duolingo.
The acquisition of NextBeat’s team brings twenty-three world-class experts in areas such as game design, user retention and monetization, sound design, and music licensing.
Their expertise will power the next chapter of Duolingo’s gamified learning experiences, with a focus on building upon Duolingo’s Music course. The move also establishes Duolingo’s first official presence in the UK, a hub of creativity and talent.
“From day one, it was clear that Duolingo and NextBeat share the same values: putting learners first, obsessing over great design, and never taking ourselves too seriously.
Joining forces means we can bring our passion for music and play to a platform that is redefining how people learn.”
Simon Hade, CEO of NextBeat
With millions of learners already using Duolingo Music since its beta launch, this acquisition signals Duolingo’s ambition to make music education more engaging and accessible with a product that is both playful and effective.
