Alantra advises Aspyr Media, Inc. on sale to Embracer Group AB for up to $450m
SECTORTechnology
ServiceM&A
Value $450 million
San Francisco – Alantra, a leading global investment bank and asset management firm, is pleased to announce that Aspyr Media, Inc. was sold to Embracer Group AB subsidiary, Saber Interactive, for up to $450 million. Aspyr will become a stand-alone entity under Saber Interactive and Aspyr Co-founders Michael Rogers and Ted Staloch will remain with the company.
Founded in Austin, Texas, in 1996, Aspyr is an independent video game developer and publisher with 140 employees. The company has a long track-record of consistent, profitable growth and has evolved into a world-class video game developer and publisher. Recently, Aspyr expanded its porting, production and publishing capabilities from the MacOS platform to include products on Windows PC, Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo, and mobile devices.
Kelemen Papp, Managing Director with Alantra Technology, said, “I’ve now had the unique pleasure of working with both the Aspyr and Saber management teams. Michael and Ted have built a phenomenal business with an exciting roadmap for the future. We were beyond thrilled to help them team up with Matt, Andrey and the rest of the Embracer family to accelerate their vision. I’m confident that these two teams are going to do BIG things together, and I can’t wait to see the impact they make on the video game industry over the next decade.”
“I have been a fan of Aspyr for longer than I have been in the industry,” said Matthew Karch, CEO of Saber Interactive and Director of the Embracer Board. “Michael and Ted are true entrepreneurs that have built a business by identifying and capitalizing on opportunity where no one else saw it. They are a perfect fit for Embracer and I am proud to now call them partners. Together, we will be able to greatly expand our development and publishing activities here in the US. Stay tuned for details on some of the amazing games we have under joint development. Today is a truly amazing day for Saber and the entire Group.”
Michael Rogers, Aspyr Co-founder and CEO, said in a company statement, “We are thrilled to join forces with Saber and to become part of the entire Embracer family. We are confident that Embracer is the ideal partner for us as we look to accelerate growth and execute on our exciting pipeline. We have been in the games industry for two and a half decades, but it feels like we are just getting started. We look forward to exploring opportunities to collaborate with other entrepreneurs within the wider Embracer Group to bring celebrated games to our fellow gamers around the world.”
This is Alantra’s fifth gaming deal in the past 18 months and clearly establishes the firm’s Video Game franchise as one of the leading investment banking organizations serving the gaming market today. Previous Alantra gaming deals include advising French video game developer Asobo Studio on the sale of a minority stake to investment fund Sagard NewGen; advising the shareholders of Saber Interactive on its sale to Embracer Group for $525m; advising French video game developer DONTNOD on its capital reorganization; and advising the founders of InnoGames, a leading German online games developer and publisher, on the sale of a 17% stake to MTG.
The Alantra Tech team advising Aspyr included Mr. Papp (Managing Director & Partner, San Francisco), and Allen Kogan (Director, San Francisco).
