— Canadian Esports firm GameSquare Holdings is acquiring US-based FaZe Clan for $18.5м in an all-stock deal, a 17% premium over its recent valuation of $15.8 m;
— Cyprus-based mobile games publisher Azur Games is buying the portfolio of US hypercasual game publisher Tastypill;
— UK-based games developer Noodle Cat Games raised $12м in a Series A funding round led by Hiro Capital.

Those 3 deals with 5 others, were covered in our most recent Weekly News Digest.

Our colleagues from GameDev Reports picked the most exciting gaming reports from the previous week. This time, they covered Marvel's Spider-Man 2 launch sales figures, the possible growth of the top-6 gaming markets in Southeast Asia, and a percentage of Netflix subscribers who play its games:

— Marvel's Spider-Man 2 sold 2.5 million copies on the first day;
— Niko Partners: The six largest gaming markets in Southeast Asia will reach $5.8B in 2023;
— Apptopia: Less than 1% of Netflix's MAU plays its games.

A weekly recap with a brief overview of the mentioned reports is available here.

Microsoft has successfully navigated challenges and completed the historic $68.7B cash acquisition of Activision Blizzard on October 13th. This game-changing deal signifies a pivotal moment in gaming history. In collaboration with our partners from Taylor Wessing and especially with Senior Counsel Richard Faichney, we have thoroughly reviewed this deal once again. Feel free to check it out here.

Our colleagues from GameDev Reports picked the most exciting gaming reports from the previous week. This time, they covered the current state of the Sweden gaming industry, toxicity in multiplayer games in 2023, and Marvel Snap's earnings for the first year since the release:

— dataspelsbranschen: Sweden gaming Industry in 2023;
— Unity: Toxicity in Multiplayer Games Report 2023;
— AppMagic: Marvel Snap earned more than $116M on mobile devices in the first year.

A weekly recap with a brief overview of the mentioned reports is available here.

Our colleagues from GameDev Reports picked the most exciting gaming reports from the previous week. This time, they covered the potential growth of gaming subscriptions, the current state of the French gaming industry, and North American players' behavior in mobile games:

— Omdia: Gaming subscriptions will grow to $22 billion by 2027;
— SNJV: The State of the French Gaming Industry in 2023;
— Mistplay: North American players’ behaviour in Mobile Games in 2023.

A weekly recap with a brief overview of the mentioned reports is available here.

InvestGame team is pleased to present our Global Gaming Deals Activity Report for Q1-Q3’23. This report analyzed a significant shift in the gaming industry's investment landscape, characterized by reduced dealmaking activity and a challenging environment for early- and late-stage investments.

You can get a free copy of you report on our website.

1. Decrease in Dealmaking Activity: The year-to-date (YTD) 2023 has seen a significant downturn in dealmaking activity in the gaming industry, falling from the record heights experienced during 2021-22. The capital raised by gaming companies in YTD 2023 was four times lower than the average of 2021-22 during the same period, with the number of deals shrinking by approximately 23%.

2. Mergers and Acquisitions (M&As): Beginning in 2023, there was a noticeable decrease in M&A activity, with a total exit value approaching $8.5B, 3.8x below the average amount of the previous two years. Notable acquisitions include Scopely by Savvy Games Group for $4.9B and a public takeover of Rovio by SEGA for approximately $0.8B.

3. Public Offerings: Public offerings in the gaming industry have remained quiet, with the IPO window essentially closed. The sector has seen a roughly 29% year-over-year decline in Q1–Q3 2023, making it on track to be the worst year amid increasingly harsh conditions. This includes higher interest rates and mixed performance of recent US-listed IPOs.

4. Early-stage Gaming Investment: Early-stage investment activity in gaming still needs to catch up to the 2021-22 levels in value and volume. However, it shows a positive dynamic compared to the pre-COVID period. Pre-seed and Seed rounds have remained steadfast, while Series A deals have decreased.

5. Late-stage Gaming Investment: The late-stage gaming investment sector reached its lowest point in 2023, with roughly $300m capital raised across eight transactions. The prolonged macro volatility and liquidity crunch are expected to decrease the chances of consequent fundraising for newcomers, potentially leading to down rounds, premature M&As, or bankruptcies.

6. We see a significant increase in AI-related deals in 2023, particularly in Q3, with 21 deals totaling $268.1m. AI's impact is rising in gaming, primarily in production, though less rapidly than the previous blockchain gaming boom; the industry closely monitors AI's evolving role, indicating a potential emerging trend in gaming's future.

We would like to thank MGVC and Taylor Wessing for their support and a special thank you to the White Label PR agency for connecting us with top-tier media outlets.

Our colleagues from GameDev Reports picked the most exciting gaming reports from the previous week. This time, they covered the Indian gaming market forecast till 2027, the current gaming industry overview, and the US video game market performance in Oct'23:

— Lumikai & Google: The Indian Gaming Market in 2023 and Forecast until 2027;
— Newzoo: The Gaming Industry in 2023;
— Circana: The American gaming market in Oct'23 fell by 5%.

A weekly recap with a brief overview of the mentioned reports is available here.

Last week, we presented our Global Gaming Deals Activity Report for Q1-Q3’23. Here are some of the most significant findings.

The year-to-date (YTD) 2023 has seen a significant downturn in dealmaking activity in the gaming industry, falling from the record heights experienced during 2021-22.

The capital raised by gaming companies in YTD 2023 was four times lower than the average of 2021-22 during the same period, with the number of deals shrinking by approximately 23%.

Last week, we presented our Global Gaming Deals Activity Report for Q1-Q3’23. Here are some of the most significant findings.

Dealmaking activity has fallen from record heights during 2021–22 as the market slows, and the investment landscape has witnessed a notable downturn since 2023.

YTD 2023 capital raised by gaming companies was 4x times lower than the average of 2021–22 during the same period ($2.3B vs. ~$9.1B), with the number of deals shrinking by ~23%.

Last week, we presented our Global Gaming Deals Activity Report for Q1-Q3’23. Here are some of the most significant findings.

Beginning in 2023, the M&A activity witnessed a notable decrease, with total exit value approaching $8.5B, 3.8x times below avg. amount of the previous two years. The main contributors, accounting for over 75% of the overall value, were the acquisitions of Scopely by Savvy Games Group ($4.9B), a public takeover of Rovio by SEGA (~$0.8B), and the acquisition of Techland by Tencent (undisclosed).

Last week, we presented our Global Gaming Deals Activity Report for Q1-Q3’23. Here are some of the most significant findings.

The trend of diminishing performance in the public offerings market continues, presenting restricted opportunities for acquiring additional funds. In Q3'23, a mere nine deals were executed. The prevalent variance in financial outcomes and predictions has contributed to challenges in stabilizing public share prices.

Last week, we presented our Global Gaming Deals Activity Report for Q1-Q3’23. Here are some of the most significant findings.

This year shows an increased interest in AI-related startups in terms of size and number of deals. Q3’23 was especially strong, with an unprecedented 21 deals for a total amount of $268.1m. The year’s largest deal was a $76m round of Inworld AI led by Lightspeed Venture Partners.

Our colleagues from GameDev Reports picked the most exciting gaming reports from the previous week. This time, they covered the UK console game sales in Oct '23, the survival rate of mobile games, and the decrease in gaming sales in the European market for the previous month:

— GfK & GSD: The UK console gaming market in Oct'23 experienced a significant decline;
— SuperScale: 83% of launched mobile games die within three years;
— GSD: Game sales in Europe slightly decreased in Oct'23.

A weekly recap with a brief overview of the mentioned reports is available here.

This Monday, we officially introduced our new feature — The Reports. It is an online database with a vast collection of gaming reports, allowing users to easily find, read, and dive into these reports using tailored search filters. This provides a smart way to access gaming insights. Give it a try.

Our colleagues from GameDev Reports picked the most exciting gaming reports from the previous week. This time, they covered forecasts for the East Asia games market until 2027, U.S. children's gift preferences, and the best sources of advertising traffic on mobile devices:

— Niko Partners: The markets of South Korea, Japan, and Chinese Taipei are projected to grow to $30.8B by 2027;
— The ESA: Most American children want video games connected gifts for the New Year holidays;
— AppsFlyer: Best sources of advertising traffic on mobile devices.

A weekly recap with a brief overview of the mentioned reports is available here.

— Spielworks, a Germany-based web3 gaming company, has acquired the social gaming platform Wasder.gg from Sweden for an undisclosed sum;
— KEK Entertainment, a Cyprus-based games developer, has successfully raised $8m in a Seed funding round, with Korea Investment Partners leading the investment;
— Thirdverse, a Japan-based VR games developer, has secured $8m in a funding round.
These 3 deals, along with 3 others, were featured in our most recent Weekly News Digest.

Our colleagues from GameDev Reports picked the most exciting gaming reports from the previous week. This time, they covered insights into the future of mobile games in 2024, how PC gamers discover and purchase games, and the current state of the African game industry:

— data.ai: What awaits mobile games in 2024;
— Ultra & Atomik Research: How PC gamers discover and purchase games;
— Maliyo Games: The state of the African game industry.

A weekly recap with a brief overview of the mentioned reports is available here.

— W4 Games, an Ireland-based gaming tech company, has raised $15m in a Series A funding round led by OSS Capital.
— GC Turbo, Japan-based gaming company, has closed a $3m Seed round with Animoca Brands leading the investment.
— GameTree, a US-based gaming startup, has attracted $1.7m in a Seed funding round.

These three, along with six more deals, were featured in our latest Weekly News Digest.

Our colleagues from GameDev Reports picked the most exciting gaming reports from the previous week, covering console sales for Alan Wake II and the performance of the American and British gaming markets in Nov'23:

— Ampere Analysis: Alan Wake II console sales less than 1 million copies;
— Circana: The American Gaming Market Declined by 7% in Nov'23;
— GSD & GfK: Call of Duty could not save the British market from a decline on November 23.

A weekly recap with a brief overview of the mentioned reports is available here.

— Keywords Studios, a leading game development outsourcing company, has acquired the UK-based outsource games developer The Multiplayer Group (MPG) from Improbable for $97.1m;
— Hearst Newspapers, a US-based media conglomerate, has acquired Puzzmo, a US-based collaborative puzzle platform, for an undisclosed sum;
— XTEN Limited, a Cyprus-based free-to-play soccer video game ULF developer, has raised over $40m in a funding round from several investors, including Portuguese soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo.

These three, along with four more deals, are covered in our latest Weekly News Digest.