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Unity Announces Merger Agreement with ironSource

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Unity, the world’s leading platform for creating and operating interactive, real-time 3D (RT3D) content, and ironSource, a leading business platform that empowers mobile content creators to turn their apps into scalable, successful businesses, announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which ironSource will merge into a wholly-owned subsidiary of Unity via an all-stock deal, where each ordinary share of ironSource will be exchanged for 0.1089 shares of Unity common stock. Once closed, current Unity stockholders will own approximately 73.5% and current ironSource shareholders will own approximately 26.5% of the combined company. The companies’ complementary offerings create a unique end-to-end platform that allows creators to create, publish, run, monetize, and grow live games and RT3D content seamlessly.

“We believe the world is a better place with more successful creators in it. The combination of Unity and ironSource better supports creators of all sizes by giving them all the tools they need to create and grow successful apps in gaming and other consumer-facing verticals like e-commerce,” said John Riccitiello, CEO of Unity. “This is a step further toward realizing our vision of a fully integrated platform that helps creators in every step of their RT3D journey. We look forward to welcoming Tomer Bar-Zeev, the CEO of ironSource, and the rest of ironSource’s talented team into the Unity family.”

The end-to-end platform synergy from the combination of the companies will enhance Unity’s offerings for creators of all sizes. Together with ironSource, Unity will transform and streamline how live games, RT3D apps and services are made by turning today’s linear creation and growth process into a deeply connected and interactive one. By integrating creation and growth more tightly, creators will be able to leverage data on audience feedback to improve content from the earliest stage in the creation process, and throughout the content lifecycle. This will unlock a flywheel where data from growth feeds improvements in content which in turn drives more business success for the content or app.

“To succeed today, creators need an extensive set of solutions and products working in concert to power amazing user experiences and sustainable business growth,” said Tomer Bar-Zeev, CEO of ironSource. “The combination of Unity and ironSource brings together every product needed to power that flywheel of growth, in a differentiated platform positioned to lead our category and beyond. We couldn’t be more excited about our shared mission to remove obstacles for creators to grow.”

The deal will bring together the Unity game engine and editor, Unity Ads, and the rest of Unity Gaming Services (UGS) with ironSource’s best-in-class mediation and publishing platforms, giving developers a seamless and interoperable way to create, grow, and monetize their creations across their lifecycle. In the near term, ironSource’s mediation platform will leverage the combined strength of the two companies’ ad networks to deliver increased user reach and data scale, and provide an increased return on ad spend to advertisers. Telcos will also benefit from the combination of Unity and ironSource, which will provide them with enhanced opportunities to leverage interactive gaming and RT3D experiences on-device.

In addition to delivering benefits for creators, this transaction also provides significant benefits to shareholders. The combined company is expected to generate a run rate of $1 billion in Adjusted EBITDA by the end of 2024.

In connection with the merger, Unity’s Board of Directors have also authorized a 24-month share buyback program of up to $2.5 billion, effective upon closing of the merger, which is expected to reduce dilution caused by the transaction.

Silver Lake and Sequoia have fully committed to purchase an aggregate of $1 billion in convertible notes from Unity at closing, demonstrating their belief in the value creation potential of the merger. The convertible notes to be issued to Silver Lake and Sequoia are due in 2027 and bear an interest rate of 2% per annum. The conversion price is $48.89 per share.

“Beyond our platform, we expect the combination of our business with ironSource to transform Unity’s financial profile to that of a highly profitable and free cash flow positive company,” said Luis Visoso, CFO, Unity. “We expect to generate $300 million in annual EBITDA synergies by year three.”

Management and Board of Directors

Upon closing of the merger, Tomer Bar-Zeev will join Unity’s Board of Directors and serve as a key member of Unity’s executive leadership team. In addition, two additional ironSource Directors will join the Unity Board of Directors upon closing of the transaction. Bar-Zeev and other members of ironSource’s management team, who will also assume leadership roles in the combined company, have an established track record of building a profitable, high-growth leader in the global app economy. ironSource’s headquarters in Israel will serve as an additional global hub for Unity.

Additional Transaction Details

The proposed all-stock transaction has been approved by the boards of directors of both companies, is expected to close during Unity’s fourth quarter of 2022 and is subject to customary closing conditions, and regulatory and shareholder approval. Additional details and information about the terms and conditions of the transaction will be available in Current Reports on Form 8-K or Form 6-K, as applicable, to be filed by Unity and ironSource with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Advisors

Morgan Stanley served as lead financial advisor to Unity. Goldman Sachs also served as financial advisor to Unity, and Morrison & Foerster LLP and Herzog Fox & Neeman served as its legal advisors. Jefferies LLC served as exclusive financial advisor to ironSource, and Latham & Watkins LLP and Meitar Law Offices served as its legal advisors.

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Flexion Reports Revenue Increase of 9% for 2024

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Flexion, the games marketing company, has announced that its revenue grew 9% to year-end December 2024. The growth is attributed to the Company’s success in the alternative app store market.

Since its IPO in 2018, the company has built a well-positioned games marketing business around the alternative stores and grown annual revenue 50-fold to almost US$100 million. Its game portfolio represents several billion US$ in gaming IP for alternative market partners like Samsung, Amazon, Huawei, OneStore and Xiaomi.

“With the Digital Markets Act (DMA) coming into force in Europe and recent legal actions in the US, mobile game developers have felt a new-found freedom to explore their market options. We’ve already moved beyond the era when Google and Apple controlled everything. Developers are looking for alternatives that offer better margins, and additional audiences and revenue. Partnering with Flexion opens up a range of market channels with very little up-front investment,” said Jens Lauritzson, CEO of Flexion.

Flexion currently distributes more than 30 high-profile titles on the alternative stores. Top-tier games in the Flexion portfolio make on average US$ 10 million a year based on Q4 2024 run rate. That’s income in addition to their Google and Apple revenue with a business model that adds little to their costs.

In Q4 2024, Flexion-serviced games were, on average, generating 9.3% through the alternative stores of the revenue they made on Google Play. This is a significant boost for Flexion’s partners without major costs or effort.

“If you scale for the size of the stores, the alternatives massively out-performed Google in Q4 for our games. This is exciting both for Flexion’s business and for the future of the games industry as a whole. We’re seeing the beginning of a sea change in games marketing,” Jens said.

“We’re seeing just the beginnings of a major shift in how top-tier developers address their markets. Using Flexion to access alternative stores is an easy first step into the post- Google and Apple world. Many developers are already looking at their options beyond that and Flexion will be right there with them providing the technology and expertise they need to maximise the potential of their games,” Jens added.

The post Flexion Reports Revenue Increase of 9% for 2024 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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Players Reclaim Close to $7M Through AskGamblers Complaint Service in 2024

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The latest AskGamblers Complaint Service report for 2024 has officially been released. The comprehensive report highlights the most important accomplishments and records of the AskGamblers Complaint Service team for the previous year.

In 2024, The AGCS team (formerly known as AGCCS) managed to return $6,890,547.11 to players. Over 7259 players turn to AskGamblers, submitting complaints against 1114 casino brands. Out of all the accepted and processed complaints, the team had a 68% resolution success rate. One of the notable milestones that reached was returning a total of $70 million to the members.

Dijana Radunović, General Manager at AskGamblers, said: “It’s amazing to see the trust players put in us year after year, and we’re able to repay them by helping them recover their funds from operators or solve other related issues. We’ve had another successful year, with a few records broken and amazing milestones achieved and we can’t wait to see what lies in store in the years ahead.”

The post Players Reclaim Close to $7M Through AskGamblers Complaint Service in 2024 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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SlotsCalendar Announces its Second Awards Edition at iGC Malaga 2025

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SlotsCalendar, a leading name and tastemaker in iGaming, has announced the second edition of the SlotsCalendar Awards. Winners will be announced during the iGC Malaga event in May 2025.

These awards are rapidly gaining significance in the iGaming world as SlotsCalendar’s steady growth, success, and player-centric mentality represent the community’s interest.

Players have approximately a month to vote between the 10th of April and the 12th of May.

For its 2025 edition, the SlotsCalendar Awards Gala returns to the iGaming Club Conference in Malaga, happening on May 28th. The Awards categories for this year are as follows:

• Game Studio of the Year

• The Slot Everyone’s Talking About

• Star Slot in the Making

• Casino of the Year

• Excellence in Bonus Variety

• Industry Standard in Responsible Gambling

• Live Casino of the Year

• Best Sports Betting Platform

• Best New Casino

• Best Crypto Casino

While the idea of iGaming Awards is not new to the industry, the SlotsCalendar Awards are unique for a simple reason: winners are voted by players from the entire iGaming community.

The uniqueness of these awards makes them particularly important in iGaming. Placing the decision-making strictly in the hands of the player is a fundamental shift in the iGaming community.

SlotsCalendar CEO Viorel Stan said: “It’s truly an honor and a privilege to see how our SlotsCalendar Awards have evolved. Last year’s inaugural edition was a crowning achievement for us. It proved how vast and involved our community is, creating a level of engagement that made us incredibly proud. Being able to return to the iGC and reward some of iGaming’s luminaries in the name of the SlotsCalendar Community is beyond gratifying.”

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