The Wall Street Journal published a report stating that SEGA was planning to purchase the popular game maker Rovio Entertainment the company behind the hit Angry Birds franchise, Today, SEGA has confirmed its intentions to purchase the company, The main purpose of this acquisition is to utilize Rovio’s live-service expertise to bring SEGA’s “current and new titles to the global mobile gaming market” + expand trans-media opportunities.” SEGA is looking to spend roughly $775M on acquiring the company.
“SEGA Corporation (the “Company”), a subsidiary of SEGA SAMMY HOLDINGS, at the meeting of its Board of Directors held on April 17, 2023, resolved to implement a tender offer (tender offer under the Finnish Law, the “Tender Offer”) to acquire Rovio Entertainment Oyj (“Rovio”), a mobile game company headquartered in Finland, through SEGA’s wholly-owned UK subsidiary SEGA Europe Limited (the “Acquisition”) and SEGA SAMMY HOLDINGS has entered into a definitive agreement with Rovio pursuant to which the Tender Offer is made.”
“Through the Tender Offer, SEGA aims to acquire the entirety of Rovio’s outstanding shares and options at EUR 9.25 per share and EUR 1.48 per option, or EUR 706 million in total (approximately ¥103,680 million converted at EUR1 = ¥146.9 (FX rate as of April 14, 2023). The same FX rate is applied hereinafter). The Acquisition is a friendly takeover, as Rovio’s board of directors has agreed to, and has expressed support towards the Tender Offer. Shareholders in Rovio who in aggregate hold shares corresponding to approximately 49.1 percent of the outstanding shares and votes in Rovio, have irrevocably undertaken to accept the Offer, subject to certain customary conditions. The Acquisition is expected to close in the second quarter of FY2024/3 and is contingent on the completion of reviews under applicable antitrust laws and other customary conditions.”
This might not seem like a smart acquisition, but Rovio has been having increasing profitable years. Hard to say if the AB IP itself is worth 3 quarters of a billion, but they definitely have something over there that is pulling in 300M in revenue a year.
Good thing they bought up a studio that made triple a games like Angry Birds, Angry Birds 2: Angry Birds Harder and Angry Birds with a Vengeance before someone else did.
That’s an interesting move…