Gamigion

Written by our partner InvestGame According to Bloomberg, US-based AR gaming company Niantic, Inc. plans to sell its gaming business, including its flagship title, Pokémon GO. The game development division could be acquired by US-based mobile gaming company Scopely for $3.5B. This deal would significantly shift the AR and location-based gaming market if true. ABOUT NIANTIC Niantic was established as an internal startup at Google in 2010 by John Hanke (previously CEO of Keyhole, which was acquired by Google and became the foundation of Google Earth). In 2015, it spun out as an independent company with backing from Google (NASDAQ: GOOG), Nintendo (TYO: 7974), and The Pokémon Company. Today, the company employs almost 1,000 people, with main offices in the US, Japan, and the UK. Since 2015, Niantic has raised over $765m across four funding rounds: in Oct’15, the company […]

Meta has launched a $50 million Creator Fund for developers building games for its online virtual space Horizon Worlds. Meta said it will pay devs monthly based on factors such as engagement, retention, and in-world purchases. As part of this initiative, Meta is also introducing its first creator competition of the year. The first will be a $1m mobile-focused contest, which is set to start on Tuesday, March 11th. Moreover, the company said that Meta Horizon Creator Program members can increase earnings through in-world purchases, which will expand to 18 more countries on Monday, February 24th. Meta has also released the Horizon Worlds desktop editor in early access. It supports new features, including custom model import for building worlds, TypeScript support for complex game logic, and mobile optimisation tools. In the US, it also features generative AI tools such as […]

Unity made a bold, high-stakes move in 2024, trimming its ranks to 4,987 full-timers—a dramatic cut costing $214M. In a sweeping reorganization, the game engine and ads powerhouse shuttered 23 offices, shrinking its global presence from 57 locations in 2023 to just 34 by year’s end. The cost breakdown? $15M in revenue expenses, $48M in R&D, $58M in sales and marketing, and $93M in general and admin—plus an extra $53M in restructuring charges. This follows earlier plans to slice 25% of the workforce in Q1, building on the near 1,800 employee drop from 2023 and a steeper decline from 2022’s 7,703 staff. Yet, even amid cost-cutting and a leaner footprint, Unity isn’t standing still. Despite revenue softness in its Chinese market and an accumulated deficit now at $3.7B, key customer contributions are on the rise, and the company holds $1.5B […]

Something big can happen, as reported by our partner InvestGame. Turkish mobile games developer Dream Games is preparing to raise $2.5B through debt and equity financing. They aim to secure $1.25B in debt from private credit lenders and an additional $1.25B in equity. The funds will be used to buy out existing investors. If completed, the deal will almost double Dream Games’ valuation from $2.75B to $5B. The company’s founders plan to retain a 70% ownership stake after the transaction. This marks Dream Games’ fifth fundraising round since its founding in 2019: — In Nov’19, Dream Games secured a $7.5m Seed funding round led by Makers Fund;— In Mar’21, Dream Games raised a $50m Series A funding round led by Index Ventures;— In Jun’21, Dream Games secured a $155m Series B in a funding round, co-led by Index Ventures and Makers Fund, valuing the company at $1B;— In Jan’22, […]

Another day, another AppLovin update! As reported by mobilegamer.biz, AppLovin is offloading its ten-game studio portfolio for $900 million as it pivots to focus entirely on Ad Tech. Check out: AppLovin Empire: Monopoly in Mobile Gaming? AppLovin’s decision to sell its gaming studios signals a major shift in the mobile gaming industry. While the company has not revealed the buyer, the move highlights the growing dominance of ad monetization over traditional game publishing. We’ve seen similar transitions before, such as [another company’s example]. Given these trends, it raises the question: will more gaming giants follow suit? This means Machine Zone, PeopleFun, Magic Tavern, Lion Studios, Belka, Athena, Clipwire, Leyi, Zenlife, and Zero Gravity will soon be under new ownership. However, AppLovin has not disclosed the buyer. More: AppLovin’s Gaming Portfolio CEO and co-founder Adam Foroughi announced the decision during the company’s […]