Dealmaking and M&A in the Games Market
In 2023, mergers and acquisitions (M&A) globally fell to its lowest level in ten years, as high interest rates and an economic slowdown weighed on companies’ dealmaking confidence. While the games market fared a bit better, mostly due to a few big-ticket deals, there is still uneasiness in the current environment. This panel of investors and dealmakers will discuss the current environment for dealmaking and M&A in the games, interactive media and technologies market and consider the opportunities and challenges ahead. What are the opportunities for the long-term oriented strategies focused on innovation in the sector? What are interesting themes and attractive targets in gaming? Are acquisitions of game development studios viable, or are acquirers more focused on tools, services or platforms? What about emerging platforms – web3, VR, AR, metaverse – which all seem to have cooled? For games and game development studios, what game genres, devices (mobile vs. PC/console), single-player/multiplayer, and pricing models (F2P vs premium) are seeing the most interest? In terms of valuation, what expectations do investors or acquirers have in terms of returns or exits? Has the exit landscape changed given public game company performance recently and fewer acquirors at scale? This panel of the industry’s top dealmakers will tackle these questions and more.
Panelists:
Jeff Chaiken, SVP, Head of Corporate Development & Strategy, Skybound
Dara Leung, Managing Director, Raine Group
Michael Metzger, Partner, Drake Star
Rob Ricca, SVP, Corporate Development, Scopely
Moderator:
Richard McDerby, Partner, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP