Mabel R. ActonEA is making a big move into the world of mobile gaming with the acquisition of Glu Mobile, a developer best known for its work on celebrity-focused titles, based on stars like Katy Perry and Kim Kardashian. Its portfolio also includes popular titles like Design Home, Covet Fashion, and MLB Tap Sports Baseball. EA says that once the deal is closed, it will have acquired Glu for “$2.1 billion in enterprise value.”
“Mobile continues to grow as the biggest gaming platform in the world, and with the addition of Glu’s games and talent, we’re doubling the size of our mobile business,” EA CEO Andrew Wilson said in a statement. EA says that it currently has a mobile audience of more than 100 million monthly active players.
The move is analogous to Activision Blizzard’s acquisition of Candy Crush maker King in 2015, serving as an expensive way to break into the lucrative mobile space. During its recent Q4 earnings statement, Activision said that King raked in $577 million in net revenues, not far from Blizzard’s $579 million. King is also now tapping into existing Activision franchises with the upcoming release of Crash Bandicoot: On the Run.
There’s no word on what new projects Glu might be working on under the EA umbrella, though the publisher said that Glu’s experience with casual games coupled with EA’s “industry-leading IP in sports and beyond” are a big reason behind the acquisition.
