Youzu Interactive Acquires Bigpoint

It was announced today via press release that Youzu Interactive is in the process of acquiring browser and mobile publisher Bigpoint. Youzu Interactive is a Chinese company that is best known as the developer of League of Angels. However, the company is likely better known in the West by the name of its browser game portal GTArcade.

The press release did not specify the amount that Youzu Interactive spent on the acquisition, stating only that Youzu Interactive purchased "all available Bigpoint stock." However, according to Reuters, the cost was approximately €80 million or around $89.7 million. The deal is set to be finalized sometime in April 2016 and is expected to "The acquisition is expected to "usher in a new era for BigPoint."

Bigpoint CEO Khaled Helioui had the following to say about the acquisition.

With this collaboration, Bigpoint begins the next chapter in its history focused exclusively on the quality of titles published. With the support of Youzu, we will be able to further invest in our talent, the amazing experiences they create and the reach of our games. Lin Qi’s passion and vision for the industry resonated with our hunger to provide better experiences to our players. Partnering with a player centric, product focused organization such as Youzu will allow us to have the means of our ambition: Great gaming for everybody.

Despite the $89.7 million price tag, BigPoint was sold at at an enormous discount to the $350 million that British venture firms Summit Partners and TA Associate paid for the company in 2011 (for a majority stake, not even the whole thing). The company experienced explosive growth since its founding in 2002, but slowed down considerably in 2012. Their most successful game was Dark Orbit, which launched in 2006. Time will tell whether Youzu can reinvigorate the company after taking over operations.