$10.5B Disclosed Deal Value and 198 Gaming M&A Deals in 2024
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Today we’re looking at SuperGaming’s latest fundraise, Nintendo’s speed bump, Drake Star Partners’ latest report about Gaming M&A activity in 2024 along with ESL FACEIT Group renewing a longstanding partnership with Intel.
SuperGaming Raises Undisclosed Amount from Bandai Namco
The studio behind Indus Battle Royale, SuperGaming, has raised an undisclosed amount of funding from Elden Ring and Tekken publisher Bandai Namco. This investment was made through Bandai Namco’s startup fund 021 which typically provides capital ranging from 10 million to 500 million yen ($75,000 to $3.75 million) per startup. Shortly after the game’s launch, it crossed the coveted 1 million downloads mark but had to contend with the media and community’s ire. However, the game seems to have found its groove with Indian mobile Battle Royale fans, having crossed 5 million downloads on the Google Play Store within the first four months of its launch.
Nintendo Lowers Fiscal Year Forecast Amid Decline in Switch Sales
Nintendo has adjusted its financial projections following a 31% year-on-year decrease in net sales, totaling ¥956.2 billion ($6.1 billion) for the nine months ending December 31, 2024. The company also reported a 41.9% drop in net profit, amounting to ¥237.1 billion ($1.5 billion). Hardware sales saw a 30.6% decline, with 9.5 million units sold, while software sales decreased by 24.4%, reaching 123.8 million units. In response, Nintendo has revised its full-year forecast, now anticipating ¥1.1 trillion ($7 billion) in sales—a 7% reduction from previous estimates and a 31.2% decrease compared to the prior fiscal year. The company attributes these declines to the aging Nintendo Switch platform and is preparing for the release of the Switch 2 later this year.
⚡Quick Bytes
The Number of Gaming M&A Deals Increased by 21% in 2024
This and other interesting facts about gaming mergers and acquisitions were revealed in the Drake Star Global Gaming Report Q4 2024. Over 198 deals were announced in the year gone by with $10.5B in disclosed deal value. PC and Console companies saw 53 deals, followed by mobile (38 deals) and platform / tools (32 deals). Among others, major transactions in the year included EQT’s $2.8B purchase of Keywords Studios, Epic’s $1.5B funding round led by Disney, and Miniclip’s $1.2B purchase of Easybrain from Embracer Group.
ESL FACEIT Group and Intel Renew Longstanding Partnership
ESL FACEIT Group (EFG) and Intel have announced a multi-year renewal of their 24-year partnership, focusing on Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) esports events. The collaboration will continue to encompass the ESL Pro Tour and Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) tournaments, which have collectively garnered over 2 billion watch hours and distributed more than $27 million in prize money. The renewed agreement aims to further develop CS2 esports competitions in cities such as Cologne, Dallas, and Rio de Janeiro.
💡Did You Know
In 2009, Electronic Arts staged a fake protest outside the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) to promote Dante’s Inferno. The publisher hired nearly 20 people to pose as religious demonstrators, condemning the game for "glorifying eternal damnation." The group distributed pamphlets and held signs with slogans like "Hell is not a Video Game" and "Trade in Your PlayStation for a PrayStation." The stunt, orchestrated by a viral marketing agency, initially fooled attendees before being revealed as a publicity gimmick.
📜Quote of the Day
“Often when we guess at others' motives, we reveal only our own.”
Mara Sov, Destiny
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