French video game publisher Nacon has just announced the acquisition of Big Ant Studios, creators of the Don Bradman Cricket, Cricket 19 and AO Tennis sports games, for a “maximum price of” $54.8 million.
They've also made AFL (last one in 2011 before Wicked Witch took over) and Rugby League (last one 2017) games.
Fun reading the threads in bigfooty where people have deluded themselves that they make good games. Their AFL game was shit and tennis launched unfinished, their strength unlike wicked witch was that they stuck at continually improving releases.
Well there was talk MS are prepping for another Bethesda style acquisition, I think this year we'll see a lot of consolidation in the industry, just the way things are headed now.
And the Series X will look like a Saturn and the Series S will look like a Dreamcast in Japan and that will save Microsoft in Japan and the Sonic cycle will be broken by brand new Sonic game that's just Sonic 2 but Sonic is wearing a hat.
Currently playing: Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition (PC), Far Cry 4 (PC), FIFA 23 (Series X)
Reading more into the terms of this deal, it doesn't quite add up. In their press release they claim to be making what nearly 12million operating profit this year but are only getting a guaranteed payout of not even double that which I'm not sure is even all in cash. Then the final payouts in a few years time if they hit some milestones again I don't think all in cash. If you're making 12million bucks this year you don't get a valuation of 15mil euros + some more down the line, even 54million is way low.
Embracer Group has made its most significant acquisition to date, with a $1.3 billion deal for Borderlands developer Gearbox Entertainment.
That figure was given as the maximum value of the transaction, which will see the Texas-based company become a wholly owned subsidiary of Embracer Group.
However, the deal is heavily balanced towards performance targets. On day one, the purchase price of Gearbox will be $363 million, of which $175 million is in newly issued B shared in Embracer group. Gearbox's owners could receive just over $1 billion if it hits agreed six-year performance targets, of which $360 million will be in Embracer shares.
To realise the full value of the deal ($1.38 billion), Gearbox must earn accumulated Adjusted EBITDA, including expensed development costs, or more than $1.3 billion over the next six years. In calendar 2019, Gearbox earned $125 million in revenue.
Gearbox Entertainment's 550-person team will join The Swedish group's 5,500-strong workforce. Gearbox co-founder Randy Pitchford will remain head of the company when the deal completes.
Embracer Group has made its most significant acquisition to date, with a $1.3 billion deal for Borderlands developer Gearbox Entertainment.
That figure was given as the maximum value of the transaction, which will see the Texas-based company become a wholly owned subsidiary of Embracer Group.
However, the deal is heavily balanced towards performance targets. On day one, the purchase price of Gearbox will be $363 million, of which $175 million is in newly issued B shared in Embracer group. Gearbox's owners could receive just over $1 billion if it hits agreed six-year performance targets, of which $360 million will be in Embracer shares.
To realise the full value of the deal ($1.38 billion), Gearbox must earn accumulated Adjusted EBITDA, including expensed development costs, or more than $1.3 billion over the next six years. In calendar 2019, Gearbox earned $125 million in revenue.
Gearbox Entertainment's 550-person team will join The Swedish group's 5,500-strong workforce. Gearbox co-founder Randy Pitchford will remain head of the company when the deal completes.
