TheGamingEconomy’s Daily Digest brings you the prevalent business stories in gaming. In today’s news: Paradox Interactive acquires Playrion; Sony mulling offer for Leyou; and Tencent launches second US studio. Paradox Interactive acquires Playrion Stockholm-based developer-publisher Paradox Interactive has announced that it has acquired mobile studio Playrion for an undisclosed sum. Operating out of Paris, the acquired developer is best known for its Airlines Manager title, which has a player base of over 10 million since its release in 2014. Playrion becomes the [...]

TheGamingEconomy’s Daily Digest brings you the prevalent business stories in gaming. In today’s news: Discord raises USD$100m (£80.5m); thousands of games removed from China iOS store; and Animoca Brands acquires GAMEE. Discord raises USD$100m (£80.5m) Voice and video chat platform Discord has announced that it has raised USD$100m (£80.5m) in funding from Index Ventures, valuing the San Fransisco-based firm at an estimated USD$3.5bn (£2.8bn). The investment will be used to support the implementation of new features and to support the platform’s expansion [...]

TheGamingEconomy’s Daily Digest brings you the prevalent business stories in gaming. In today’s news: Focus Home Interactive acquires Deck13; Keywords purchases Coconut Lizard; and Koch Media launches Americas publishing unit. Focus Home Interactive acquires Deck13 Paris-based publisher Focus Home Interactive has acquired German developer Deck13 for a total consideration of €7.1m (£6.4m), which itself consists €6.5m (£5.9m) in cash and €0.6m (£0.5m) in treasury-held shares. The acquired firm generated €5.5m (£5.0m) in revenue in 2019, and is best known for its Lords [...]

TheGamingEconomy’s Daily Digest brings you the prevalent business stories in gaming. In today’s news: Bloober Team in M&A discussions; Absolutely Games founded; and Oculus Go shuttered. Bloober Team in M&A discussions Kraków-based developer Bloober Team SA is to enter second-stage talks with six companies over a potential merger or sale of the company, according to document filings submitted to the Warsaw Stock Exchange. Of the prospective partners, three are headquartered within the United States, two in Poland, and one in the United [...]

TheGamingEconomy’s Daily Digest brings you the prevalent business stories in gaming. In today’s news: Microsoft to shutter Mixer; Facebook acquires Ready at Dawn Studios; and Overwolf acquires CurseForge assets from Twitch. Microsoft to shutter Mixer Microsoft has announced that it will shutter its Mixer streaming platform as of 22nd July 2020, with current viewer and streamer accounts to be transitioned to the Facebook Gaming service as part of a new strategic partnership. In return, Facebook Gaming will be used to promote and [...]

TheGamingEconomy’s Daily Digest brings you the prevalent business stories in gaming. In today’s news: Stillfront Group raises SEK1.2bn (£102m); Nintendo mooting mobile withdrawal; and eUnited to merge with Backstageplay. Stillfront Group raises SEK1.2bn (£102m) Developer-publisher Stillfront Group AB has announced that it has raised SEK1.2bn (£102m) in a directed share issuance to both Swedish and international investors, with the funds to be used to support its acquisition strategy alongside identifying nascent market growth opportunities. To-date, the Stockholm-based group has acquired 14 studios [...]

TheGamingEconomy’s Daily Digest brings you the prevalent business stories in gaming. In today’s news: AT&T mulls USD$4bn (£3.2bn) Warner Bros. gaming sale; Nazara acquires majority stake in Halaplay; Aiva Technologies raises €1.5m (£1.3m); and Kahoot raises USD$28m (£22m). AT&T mulls USD$4bn (£3.2bn) Warner Bros. gaming sale AT&T is considering selling its Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment video games division as part of its ongoing asset divestment strategy, as it looks to clear its debt portfolio which current stands at approximately USD$165bn (£132bn). According [...]

TheGamingEconomy’s Daily Digest brings you the prevalent business stories in gaming. In today’s news: Wave raises USD$30m (£24m); Baidu acquires Redfinger; and UK to launch APAC Digital Trade Network. Wave raises USD$30m (£24m) Los Angeles-based digital concert broadcaster Wave has raised USD$30m (£24m) in Series B funding in a round led by Maveron, with support from a host of 15 VC and angel investors, including Upfront Ventures, Raised in Space Enterprises, RRE Ventures, NTT DOCOMO Ventures, Griffin Gaming Partners, and GFR Fund. [...]

TheGamingEconomy’s Daily Digest brings you the prevalent business stories in gaming. In today’s news: GameStop posts USD$165m (£130m) loss; Playrix acquires Cateia Games; and Nintendo confirms 300,000 accounts may have been compromised. GameStop posts USD$165m (£130m) loss Retailer GameStop has recorded a net loss of USD$165.7m (£130.4m) for the first quarter of its 2020-2021 financial year, compared to a profit of USD$6.8m (£5.4m) from the equivalent period last year, as the majority of its stores were limited to roadside collection-only orders in [...]

On Monday (1st June 2020), Zynga announced that it would acquire Istanbul-based Peak for a total consideration of USD$1.8bn (£1.4bn), marking its largest acquisition, and the largest exit by Turkish start-up, to-date. With the deal expected to close within the next quarter, TheGamingEconomy examines the implications of the deal for the San Francisco gaming giant, and how it will shape its future growth. Doubling down on match-three Ostensibly, the acquisition is in line with Zynga’s overriding business strategy in mobile gaming since [...]