Berlin-based casual games maker Wooga has been acquired by Israeli mobile games studio Playtika. With the move, half of Playtika’s titles will now be casual games, as the company seeks to diversify into new genres. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed, but Venturebeat reports that the purchase price is north of $100 million.
Wooga recently restructured after unveiling a new strategy with a focus on narrative-driven games, resulting in a round of lay-offs.
The company still has 180 employees, which will be joining Playtika; Wooga founder and CEO Jens Begemann will continue to lead the games studio out of Berlin. Check out my interview with the man from nearly 5 years ago for a blast from the past.
"We see great opportunities for Playtika in the casual games genre and our acquisition of Wooga firmly positions us for this next phase of our evolution," said Robert Antokol, Playtika’s founder and CEO. “Playtika’s strengths in live-ops, advanced AI and personalization at scale will serve as a springboard for Wooga’s creativity in ideating and developing winning story-led titles. Together we’ll bring audiences worldwide a whole new level of game experiences that never cease to captivate and engage."
Wooga was backed by the likes of Balderton Capital, Highland Capital Partners, Holtzbrinck Ventures and Tenaya Capital.
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