TheGamingEconomy’s Daily Digest brings you the prevalent business stories in gaming. In today’s news: Opera acquires YoYo Games; multiple studios fined for geoblocking; and Visionary Realms secures seven-figure investment. Opera acquires YoYo Games Internet browser developer Opera has announced that it has acquired Dundee-based YoYo Games for approximately USD$10m (£7.3m). The acquired firm, which operates 2D game engine GameMaker Studio, will be combined with gamer-oriented browser Opera GX in a new subsidiary division, termed Opera Gaming. GameMakerStudio increased its userbase by 400,000 [...]

TheGamingEconomy’s Daily Digest brings you the prevalent business stories in gaming. In today’s news: Enthusiast Gaming secures CAD$42m (£24m) deal financing; Miniclip acquires Gamebasics; and ENJ gaming cryptocurrency approved in Japan. Enthusiast Gaming secures CAD$42m (£24m) deal financing Video game media platform Enthusiast Holdings Inc. has announced that it has secured CAD$42m (£24m) in deal financing, consisting of approximately CAD$27.9m in issued treasury shares and CAD$14.1m in selling shares currently held by Blue Ant Media, corresponding to approximately 13.4% of its holdings [...]

TheGamingEconomy’s Daily Digest brings you the prevalent business stories in gaming. In today’s news: MGI acquires KingIsle; Northzone exits Kahoot; and non-domestic China game approvals fall by 47.6% in 2020. MGI acquires KingIsle Media & Games Invest (MGI) has announced that it is set to acquire Austin-based online game developer-publisher KingIsle Entertainment for a fixed purchase price of USD$126m (£92.9m) in cash, followed by an earn-out consideration of up to USD$84m (£62m) tied to revenue generated through 2021. KingIsle, which was founded [...]

In the third of TheGamingEconomy’s 2021 Predictions series, we speak to professionals from across the mobile gaming sector which continued its remarkable growth through 2020 in terms of both user engagement and investment, amid stay-at-home restrictions and greater consumption of long-form content, which could have ostensibly harmed the segment. Social gameplay and brand association key The mobile landscape is super dynamic and there are constant changes, and if you’re not able to adapt to those changes, honestly I don’t think you can [...]

TheGamingEconomy’s Daily Digest brings you the prevalent business stories in gaming. In today’s news: Huuuge to raise USD$150m (£110m); Nazara files for public listing; and Playtika nets USD$1.88bn (£1.38bn) in Nasdaq IPO. Huuuge to raise USD$150m (£110m) Mobile social and casino developer Huuuge Inc. has announced that it will raise USD$150m (£110m) as part of a directed share issuance ahead of its prospective initial public offering (IPO) on the Warsaw Stock Exchange. The Polish firm submitted its prospectus in August this year, [...]

TheGamingEconomy’s Daily Digest brings you the prevalent business stories in gaming. In today’s news: Bilibili Esports raises CN¥180m (£20.4m); 505 Games acquires Infinity Plus Two; and VSPN completes Banana Gaming & Media acquisition. Bilibili Esports raises CN¥180m (£20.4m) Chinese esports organisation Bilibili Esports has announced that it has raised CN¥180m (£20.4m) at a valuation of approximately CN¥830m (£93.9m) in a seed financing round led by the Zhejiang Chuangxiang Cultural Fund and supported by Tianfu Culture Investment and Chengdu B-Ray Media subsidiary Borui [...]

TheGamingEconomy’s Daily Digest brings you the prevalent business stories in gaming. In today’s news: Sony launches immersive music division; Ubisoft partners with Lucasfilm on Star Wars title; and Tilting Point to invest USD$10m (£7.3m) in Storytaco’s Dangerous Fellows. Sony launches immersive music division Japanese technology conglomerate Sony has announced the launch of a new subsidiary during CES 2021, Sony Immersive Music Studios, focusing on developing experiences at the intersection of music, immersive entertainment, and video gaming. The debut demonstration of the initiative [...]

TheGamingEconomy’s Daily Digest brings you the prevalent business stories in gaming. In today’s news: ESA to pause political donations; Capcom breach affecting up to 390,000; and Microsoft-bound Bethesda secures Indiana Jones licence. ESA to pause political donations The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) has announced that it will be suspending donations to individuals through its political action committee (PAC) vehicle, following the attempt by multiple beneficiaries of their contributions to overturn the result of the US presidential election, amid a violent siege on [...]

TheGamingEconomy’s Daily Digest brings you the prevalent business stories in gaming. In today’s news: ironSource acquires Soomla; Zupee raises USD$10m (£7.4m); and AlgoriX launches mobile gaming division. ironSource acquires Soomla Ad monetisation platform ironSource has announced the full acquisition of fellow Tel Aviv-based firm Soomla, which specialises in ad quality measurement and user optimisation. Financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed, while Soomla will continue to offer its SaaS products as an independent subsidiary brand. The acquisition bolsters ironSource in [...]

TheGamingEconomy’s Daily Digest brings you the prevalent business stories in gaming. In today’s news: CD Projekt under consumer protection scrutiny; Publicis launches dedicated gaming offering; and Venatus hires seven amid 38% growth. CD Projekt under consumer protection scrutiny CD Projekt has fallen under the scrutiny of the Polish Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK) over the poor technical performance of its recently-released flagship title Cyberpunk 2077 on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles. As outlined by UOKiK press officer Małgorzata Cieloch [...]