The game ‘Angry Birds’ on a smartphone, photographed March 18, 2011 in San Anselmo, Calif. (Getty/AFP/Archives/Justin Sullivan)
Japanese Sega will launch a friendly offer to buy Finnish Rovio, known for its successful Angry Birds franchise, for nearly 700 million euros, the two video game companies announced on Monday.
The offer, which represents a 19% premium to Rovio’s closing share price on Friday, is part of the Sonic hedgehog brand’s “long-term goal” to expand into the video game on mobile, indicate Sega and Rovio in a joint press release.
After the worldwide success of Angry Birds at the turn of the 2010s, Rovio had remained very dependent on its license for lack of having succeeded in signing a new flagship game, and its growth had plateaued.
The group specializing in mobile games, which went public in 2017, achieved a modest turnover of 317.7 million euros last year, for a net profit of around 31 million.
The management of Rovio, which employs around 500 people, recommended that shareholders accept the offer of 9.25 euros per share.
“Combining the strengths of Rovio and Sega represents an incredibly exciting future,” commented the Canadian boss of the Finnish group Alexandre Pelletier-Normand, quoted in the press release.
Around 07:45 GMT on the Helsinki Stock Exchange, the title jumped 18%, to 9.17 euros.
Sega is aiming for a launch of the acquisition in early May, until July, and a finalization of the takeover during the third quarter, indicates the group.
With Rovio, Sega also gets its hands on the Finnish mobile gaming platform, Beacon, the group points out.
© 2023 AFP
Did you like this article ? Share it with your friends with the buttons below.
