Ömer Yakabagi

Big Fish Games is stepping away from new game development, shifting its focus to running and monetizing its existing live titles. The move comes as part of a major restructuring by its parent company, Aristocrat Leisure, which is scaling back investment in the studio’s portfolio. No Sale, No New Games After putting Big Fish and Plarium on the market last year, Aristocrat found a buyer for Plarium—Sweden’s MTG scooped it up for $620M. But Big Fish? No takers. Instead, Aristocrat held onto the studio’s social casino games and is now reshaping its business. The company is also retiring its Pixel United reporting segment, replacing it with Product Madness, which will now house Big Fish’s operations alongside its core slots business. Leadership Shake-Up As part of the shift, Superna Kalle, Aristocrat’s chief strategy officer, will take the reins of Product Madness, […]

Just after 3.5 years. Jam City is cutting loose its Montreal-based studio, Ludia, selling it to a consortium of Canadian institutional investors in a deal currently under review by the Canadian Competition Bureau. The price tag? Still under wraps. A Jurassic Exit The sale includes Ludia’s full game catalog, home to mobile hits like Jurassic World: The Game, Jurassic World Alive, and Ninja Turtles: Legends. Despite the shake-up, Jam City claims the move won’t disrupt its core business, as its biggest successes come from casual narrative and puzzle-style games. A Quick Flip The deal comes less than 3.5 years after Jam City acquired Ludia for $165M, backed by a $350M funding round as part of its ambitious—but ultimately scrapped—plan to go public at a $1.2B valuation. Now, Ludia is being sold off. "If the sale is approved, we’re committed to […]

Autogun Heroes developer Nitro Games delivered a standout year in 2024, with revenue surging 29% to €11.4M ($12.3M) and EBITDA skyrocketing 241% to €2.4M ($2.6M). Net profit more than doubled, hitting €475K ($495K), up 114% YoY. Q4 Snapshot: Revenue: €3M ($3.2M) (+5.3% YoY) EBITDA: €556K ($578K) (-29.3% YoY) Net profit: €78K ($82K) (-74% YoY) Nitro Games credits its success to an expanding game portfolio—including Autogun Heroes, NERF: Superblast, Warframe Mobile, and an upcoming Netflix project—along with tight cost control. The studio also highlighted growing demand for cross-platform titles, particularly those with mobile support. "All-Time High" CEO Jussi Tähtinen emphasized the studio’s momentum:📈 €9.4M in new B2B orders & partnerships🔥 Profitability sustained despite market challenges🎯 Expanding shooter/action brands across platforms "Looking at our history, this isn’t a one-off—it’s a logical next step. We stayed profitable throughout 2024 while investing in future […]

Newly formed UK-based digital board game developer and publisher Meeple Corp has raised £500,000 ($629K) in pre-seed funding to accelerate its mission of bringing tabletop games to digital platforms. Founded by former Marmalade Game Studio senior programmer Matt Hilson and ex-Electric Square game designer Harri Elmer, Meeple Corp partners with publishers to digitize board games. Its debut title, Kingdomino Digital, is set to launch later this year. Investors include Hiro Capital, The Mini Fund, and industry angels. Hiro Capital co-founder Ian Livingstone praised the team, stating that the investment supports their vision to create top-tier digital board game experiences. CEO Matt Hilson emphasized the company's goal of expanding game communities and advancing technology to offer fresh experiences for board game fans. Source: PocketGamer

Mid-Core Mobile Dominance here. Modern Times Group (MTG) is acquiring Plarium, the studio behind Raid: Shadow Legends, from Aristocrat Leisure for $620 million. The deal, expected to close in Q1 2025, will nearly double MTG’s EBITDA and free cash flow, pushing annual sales past $1.1 billion. Key Highlights: Plarium’s Performance: $613M revenue and $137M adjusted EBITDA (LTM as of Sept 2024). Raid: Shadow Legends is the top-grossing turn-based RPG on mobile. Other hits: Vikings: War of Clans, Mech Arena, Merge Gardens (90% of Plarium’s revenue). Expanding into China & Asia via a NetEase partnership. Financial Structure & Growth Impact: $20M deferred payment (2026); potential earnouts of $30M (2025) & $170M (2028). Acquisition expected to be highly EPS accretive. $460M bank financing secured. Strategic Synergies: MTG gains Plarium’s expertise in live-ops, user acquisition, and monetization. Integration with Plarium Play & GoGame […]