2020 was a big year for video game growth, fueling upside for Enthusiast Gaming Holdings Inc. (TSX:EGLX)(OTCQB:ENGMF), Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ:ATVI), Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA), Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. (NASDAQ:TTWO), and Roblox Corp. (NYSE:RBLX). In fact, with the pandemic keeping millions of people at home last year, video game spending in the U.S. totaled $56.9 billion for 2020.
However, 2021 could be even better. This year, the industry could see global revenue of $189.3 billion, says Newzoo, adding there could be 2.8 billion gamers worldwide in 2021. Just look at February video game sales to see how explosive gaming has become. “New data from The NPD Group found that sales of games, hardware and accessories hit a record $4.6 billion in February, up 35% from $3.4 billion in the previous-year period,” as reported by Media Play News.
Momentum Growing for Enthusiast Gaming Holdings Inc. (TSX:EGLX)(OTCQB:ENGMF)
Enthusiast Gaming Holdings Inc. just announced that it has entered into a binding term sheet to acquire Vedatis SAS, owners of Icy Veins (www.icy-veins.com), for €7 million (US$8.33 million) in cash and stock, plus an earnout subject to certain milestones being achieved. Completion of the acquisition is conditional upon Enthusiast Gaming and Vedatis entering into a definitive agreement as well as satisfaction of a number of customary conditions, including due diligence and TSX approval and is expected to close in Q2 2021.
Founded in 2011 by Damien Thivolle and Vlad-Matei Mladin, Icy Veins is one the largest independent Activision Blizzard fan communities generating over 3 billion lifetime views of content. The platform provides news and strategy guides for leading franchises like World of Warcraft, Diablo, Heroes of the Storm, Hearthstone and Overwatch, to help players improve their game. World of Warcraft, originally released in 2004, has had eight major expansion pack releases since its initial launch, the most recent being Shadowlands in 2020 which sold 3.7 million copies in the first day, one of the fastest selling PC games in history. Diablo was released in 1997 and continues to have a loyal fan base across three major releases. Diablo IV is currently in production. Damien Thivolle and Vlad-Matei Mladin will be staying on long term to continue to operate Icy Veins.
Enthusiast Gaming has worked with Icy Veins, monetizing its advertising traffic since 2017. In that time, Enthusiast Gaming has seen the Icy Veins community grow to become the largest in the Company’s affiliated network. In 2020, Enthusiast Gaming generated approximately US$2.4M in advertising revenue for Icy Veins, of which approximately 75% was paid to its owners under a commercial representation agreement. Following the completion of the acquisition of Icy Veins, Enthusiast Gaming will retain 100% of the advertising revenue but also immediately unlock the ability to start monetizing the Icy Veins community through the Company’s differentiated flywheel, which includes You Tube, subscriptions, content licensing, merchandise/commerce.
“We are proud to have grown Icy Veins into one of the largest Activision Blizzard fan communities and that our audience has come to know us for great news and guides to help them become better gamers, commented Vlad-Matei Mladin, Co-Founder of Icy Veins. “Enthusiast Gaming is the leader in video game and esports communities and we are excited to leverage its fan flywheel model to take Icy Veins to new heights.”
Enthusiast Gaming’s buy and build strategy has been developed over the past five years. The Company has been increasing its mix of owned & operated properties on its platform and the acquisition of Icy Veins, furthers this mission in a meaningful raising its mix to 44% owned of its web properties. Owning more of its audience is important to retain and grow margins and unlock new revenue streams.
“I would like to welcome the Icy Veins team to the Enthusiast Gaming family and look forward to unlocking the many identified growth opportunities which will drive revenue and margin growth,” commented Adrian Montgomery, CEO of Enthusiast Gaming. “We continue to evaluate additional opportunities from within our platform and existing relationships, to aggressively grow our ownership of valuable video game communities and audiences.”
Other related developments from around the markets include:
Activision Blizzard announced today that Frances F. Townsend has joined the company as the Executive Vice President for Corporate Affairs and has been appointed by the Board of Directors to serve as Corporate Secretary and Chief Compliance Officer. She also will oversee Government Affairs, Public Policy, and Communications among other corporate functions. “Fran is a highly regarded public servant and corporate executive. We are very fortunate to have her wealth of experience added to our leadership team,” said Bobby Kotick. “Our company will benefit greatly from her energy, intellect and stewardship.”
Electronic Arts Inc., a global leader in interactive entertainment, announced the completion of its acquisition of Codemasters for 604 pence (approximately US$8.37*) in cash for each ordinary share of Codemasters with an implied enterprise value of US$1.2 billion. The combination of Electronic Arts and Codemasters marks an exciting new era in racing game entertainment. Bringing together two of the most passionate, creative and talented game developer and publishing organizations in the industry will enable further growth and continued success for a stable of the most powerful and popular racing brands in the world, including Formula 1®, Need for Speed, DIRT, DiRT Rally/WRC, GRID, Project CARS, Real Racing and more. With this critically acclaimed portfolio, Electronic Arts and Codemasters will be positioned to bring fans a regular cadence of new and exciting racing content, in addition to reaching across more platforms and more regions of the world.
Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. reported strong results for its fiscal third quarter 2021 ended December 31, 2020. In addition, the Company provided its initial outlook for its fiscal fourth quarter ending March 31, 2021 and again increased its outlook for the fiscal year 2021, ending March 31, 2021. For additional information, please see the fiscal third quarter 2021 results slide deck posted to the Company’s investor relations website at http://ir.take2games.com.
Roblox Corp. a global online platform bringing people together through play, today issued guidance for its first quarter ending March 31, 2021, its second quarter ending June 30, 2021 and for the full year ending December 31, 2021. For the first quarter of 2021, the Company currently expects: Daily Active Users, or DAUs: 37.6 million to 39.6 million, representing year-over-year growth of 59% to 68%. Hours engaged: 8,600 million to 9,000 million hours, representing year-over-year growth of 76% to 85%. Revenue: $320 million to $335 million, representing year-over-year growth of 98% to 107%. Non-GAAP Bookings: $550 million to $575 million, representing year-over-year growth of 120% to 130%.$51 million of one-time expenses related to the Company’s direct listing. Fully Diluted Share Count: Approximately 652 million shares as of March 31, 2021. This measure is calculated on a treasury stock method basis with respect to all common and preferred shares assuming a hypothetical per-share price of $45, the price at which we issued our preferred stock in the latest round of private funding.
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