Nazara to acquire Middle Eastern game publisher Publishme

Nazara to acquire Middle Eastern game publisher Publishme
Nazara to acquire Middle Eastern game publisher Publishme

June 17, 2021, India: Nazara Technologies Limited (BSE: 543280) (NSE: NAZARA), an India based, diversified gaming, gamified learning, and sports media company today announced that it signed a binding term sheet to acquire a majority stake in Arrakis Tanitim Organizasyon Pazarlama San. Tic. Ltd. Sti. (Publishme), the largest mobile game publishing agency in the Middle East and Turkey.

Nazara will invest approx. amount of ₹20 Cr for acquiring a 69.82% stake via primary and secondary transactions through its subsidiary.

Publishme is a full-service game marketing and publishing agency that works extensively with gaming publishers in Turkey and the MENA region. Nazara’s offerings are already present in India and across emerging and developed global markets such as Africa and North America.

With this acquisition, Nazara expands its international footprint in the freemium segment. Nazara will build local execution capabilities by cutting across key growth segments, namely freemium, gamified learning, and Esports.

Publishme CEO Özgür Özalp said,

"We are delighted to join Nazara and lead the company's foray in the MENA region. MENA is one of the fastest-growing gaming markets, with an estimated market size of $4.8bn, and has over 160mn gamers in the region (of which 100mn are mobile gamers). Our alliance with Nazara offers a unique blend of the network, global reach, and local capabilities to further the growth of the gaming industry in the region. With this, Publishme will become a full-fledged publisher in the MENA region."

Nazara founder & Jt MD Nitish Mittersain said,

"MENA is a key geography for us, and this acquisition will help us in establishing ourselves as a key player in the region. We are excited to have someone with deep regional knowledge and capabilities like Özgür and his team join the ‘Friends of Nazara’ network."

The ‘Friends of Nazara’ network comprises established gaming companies in which Nazara holds majority stakes and works actively with existing founders and management teams to achieve scale rapidly. These companies include Nodwin Gaming and Sportskeeda in Esports. The network also includes Next Wave Multimedia, developer of World Cricket Championship (WCC), the largest mobile-based cricket simulation game, and Paper Boat Apps, developers of the popular gamified learning app Kiddopia.


About Nazara Technologies Ltd.

Nazara is an India-based diversified gaming and sports media platform with a presence in India and across emerging and developed global markets such as Africa and North America, with offerings across interactive gaming, Esports, and gamified learning ecosystems. The company owns some of the most recognizable IP’s including WCC and CarromClash in mobile games, Kiddopia in gamified learning, NODWIN and Sportskeeda in Esports and Esports media, and Halaplay and Qunami in skill-based, fantasy, and trivia games.

About Publishme

Publishme is Turkey's leading games marketing agency that offers value-oriented services in many areas, from business development to marketing, from localization to production, to meet the needs of game companies, publishers, and brands. Publishme is a supporter of the world's largest game publishers in Turkey and the MENA region Garena, Lokum Games, and MY.GAMES are some of them. In addition to its services to publishers, Publishme develops creative projects to bring brands together with their target audience.


Disclaimer: The aforesaid transaction is subject to (i) the completion of due diligence, (ii) negotiation and agreement on the definitive documentation, (iii) fulfillment of certain conditions, and (iv) the receipt of corporate and regulatory approvals required, if any.