Global investment titan Carlyle has today confirmed the sale of video games developer behind the successful Runscape franchise, Jagex, to CVC Capital Partners and Haveli Investments.
While no official monetary figure has been attached to the deal, earlier this week Sky News speculated the deal to be worth approximately £900 million ($1.1 billion).
The Washington DC-based private equity firm acquired Jagex in early 2021 in a deal estimated to be worth $530 million.
Founded in 2000, staffed by over 700 individuals, and based in Cambridge, while offering other titles, Jagex is most noted for its MMORPG title, Runescape. With over 300 million lifetime accounts created, 2.4 million active subscribers, and 1+ million free-to-play users, Jagex’s Runescape is one of the most successful video games of its kind.
On the sale, Jagex CEO Phil Mansell shared:
“Through our successful partnership with Carlyle we have already seen the benefits of working with experienced, global financial sponsors. The video gaming sector has huge potential, and with CVC and Haveli’s support, I am confident that we can continue to enhance our platform for the good of both our existing valued gamers and potential new gamers yet to experience our products.”
New owner CVC’s Nick Clarry added:
“CVC has followed the video games space for many years with great interest. We are huge fans of the RuneScape games, the large global community of players, and the Games-as-a-Service capability at Jagex. Our ambition is to bring relevant experience from our sports, media and entertainment assets to help realise the full potential of Jagex over the years ahead.
“This will involve continuing to improve the existing RuneScape games, the accessibility to games on various platforms, and reinvesting into new IP content to create the exciting games of tomorrow.”
Lead image via Jagex.
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