The landscape of the online gaming industry is changing all the time. Not only are new game developers entering the market, but new sites are being launched – along with those that close their doors.
In recent years, the industry has also been shaped by several huge mergers, acquisitions, and strategic partnerships.
These have not only influenced the competitiveness of the sector but have also contributed to the evolution of gaming platforms and services.
Here, we take a look at some of the biggest and most influential online gaming mergers that have made huge waves in the industry.
Evolution Acquires No Limit City
First, we look at a massive online casino deal – Evolution acquired the renowned slot developer NoLimit City in a significant cash deal totalling €340m.
Evolution Gaming is one of the most popular live casino developers out there – and its games can be found at the very best online casino sites – and some of the biggest bonuses found at UK casinos can be used on their most popular games.
And they are just getting even bigger and better. The strategic acquisition of NoLimitCity aimed to improve Evolution’s already impressive gaming portfolio – with the inclusion of Nolimit City’s most popular titles, such as Mental, San Quentin, and East Coast/West Coast.
This acquisition is very much in line with Evolution’s overall goal of providing its customers with the very best gaming content – and demonstrating a commitment to offering the most innovative and highest-quality gaming experiences.
This transaction was just one of many, with the provider also having purchased other studios, including NetEnt, Red Tiger, and Big Time Gaming – thus making it a leading player in the online gaming industry.
Microsoft’s Acquisition Of ZeniMax Media (Bethesda Softworks)
Moving away from the casino industry, in September 2020, Microsoft announced it was to purchase ZeniMax Media, the parent company of renowned game developer Bethesda Softworks.
This deal, which was valued at a massive $7.5 billion, brought iconic gaming franchises – such as The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, and Doom under the Xbox Game Studios umbrella.
Microsoft was looking to boost its gaming portfolio even more – and enhance its Xbox Game Pass subscription service with this massive move.
Tencent’s Investments In Gaming Giants
Chinese tech giant Tencent has played a massive role in the gaming industry through several strategic investments and acquisitions.
Tencent currently holds significant stakes in several major gaming companies – including Riot Games (League of Legends), Supercell (Clash of Clans), and Epic Games (Fortnite).
These investments have put Tencent right up there as a major player in the world’s gaming market.
Electronic Arts (EA) Acquiring Codemasters
In February 2021, Electronic Arts, a leading video game company, completed the purchase of the British game developer Codemasters.
Valued at around $1.2 billion, this deal was put into place to expand EA’s presence in the racing game genre – adding popular franchises, including F1, DiRT, and GRID, to its gaming portfolio.
Activision Blizzard’s Merger With Vivendi Games
In 2008, Activision completed a merger with Vivendi Games, creating the entity known as Activision Blizzard.
This merger brought together some of the most popular franchises from both companies, such as Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, and Guitar Hero.
Activision Blizzard thus became one of the biggest and most influential gaming companies in the world. Sixteen years since the acquisition, the company has only gotten better and bigger.
Acquiring more and more companies and becoming arguably the biggest gaming company in the world, this one was the first step in Activision’s dominance.
Later it was bought by Microsoft and became even bigger than expected and it started with this deal in 2008.
Facebook Buys Out Oculus VR
In 2014, Facebook made its groundbreaking move into the world of virtual reality by acquiring Oculus VR for a massive $2 billion.
Oculus has been right at the forefront of VR technology development, and Facebook sought to integrate VR experiences into its social media platform.
This acquisition has played a huge role in shaping the role of VR in gaming and online entertainment.
Ultimately, online gaming is evolving all the time – and these mergers and acquisitions have all had a serious impact on the industry.
With companies looking to gain a competitive edge, build up their portfolios, and try to reach new markets, there will no doubt be many more big-money mergers shortly – that will shape the future of entertainment across the world.
The King Acquisition By Activision Blizzard
Mobile gaming is such a massive segment in the world of gaming, people who don’t game as a hobby will still have some games on their phones that they play.
The King is one of the biggest gaming companies in the world. Arguably the biggest mobile game of all time is Candy Crush Saga which was made by King.
Originally designed as a Facebook-only game, the success made it available for download on any phone.
The acquisition was made in 2016 when Activision Blizzard paid $5.6 billion for King. This made it the most expensive acquisition at the time, which was eventually overtaken.
King is still in operation under Activision but is its entity in the business. Although the mobile gaming market was massively changed due to this purchase it may not have even been noticed by players.
Conclusion
With gaming being one of the most expensive and competitive markets in the world, it is completely understandable that companies spend so much money acquiring the biggest companies in the gaming world.
Companies like Microsoft will want to have as much control over the industry as possible and this is obvious by the purchases they make.
The gaming industry continues to grow and get increasingly more competitive. When a new company comes out with a popular hit game; it’s natural to expect a giant to acquire the little fish in the pond and for the cycle to continue.
The snowball effect some purchases have is very obvious. If Activision did not acquire Blizzard and King would Microsoft have bought them?
Gaming is ever-changing and will continue to evolve, so we are always excited about what the future of the industry holds in store.
