EA buys PopCap for $750 million
Madden publisher make huge casual games move buying Plants Vs Zombies and Bejewelled creator
Publisher Electronic Arts is to buy social and casual games giant PopCap Games for $650 million plus $100 million in stock.
The deal is expected to close in August 2011 and could include additional payments of $550 million over two years.
"EA and PopCap are a compelling combination," said EA CEO John Riccitiello. "PopCap's great studio talent and powerful IP add to EA's momentum and accelerate our drive towards a $1 billion digital business. EA's global studio and publishing network will help PopCap rapidly expand their business to more digital devices, more countries, and more channels."
"We picked EA because they have recast their culture around making great digital games," added David Roberts, CEO of PopCap. "By working with EA, we'll scale our games and services to deliver more social, mobile, casual fun to an even bigger, global audience."
The publisher said that PopCap properties such as Plants Vs Zombies, Zuma and Bejewelled will be heading to new platforms and markets as a result of the deal.
"PopCap has a proven financial trajectory with sustained revenue growth and double-digit operating margins," offered EA CFO Eric Brown. "On a non-GAAP basis, this deal is expected to be at least ten-cents accretive in fiscal year 2013."
Am aware Popcap are extremely profitable, but still it's an eye-opening figure for casual titles and maybe of their 5-6 IP's unless there's a bunch of hot things under cover. I also think Facebook is vulnerable to google+, so as ever it'll be an interesting couple of years or so. EA don't (as far as I can see) have an incredibly positive track record of making acquisitions work (or so it seems) for them, although obviously as a Popcap shareholder, it's happy days I guess. :) Well done them.
"We're looking at massive disruptive influences (iPhone & Facebook are just 2) which is causing re-valuation of companies like PopCap who have a longer track record than most, have consistently made hit games, have an existing loyal customer base and have historically high ARPUs. These companies are very SCARCE. If EA could splash $800m on a hardcore games studio like Bioware/Pandemic a few years back, it makes perfect sense in the current market for PopCap to command an equally fantastic price."