- ARPDAUPosted 12 years ago
- What’s an impressive conversion rate? And other stats updatesPosted 12 years ago
- Your quick guide to metricsPosted 12 years ago
Naturalmotion sold to Zynga for $527 million, Benchmark’s successful games exits hit $2 billion
I am so pleased with the news that NaturalMotion has sold to Zynga for $527 million. It’s a great result for the UK games investors when investors, entrepreneurs and game makers can see that you can make a decent (fabulous) return from investing in games businesses. It’s great when a solid, successful business, founded on making great games that are loved by its players, is acquired for what looks (although I have no knowledge of NaturalMotions’s financial performance) for a great price. It’s great that Zynga is seeking routes to stay relevant by using less than a quarter of its cash balance to buy a company that will help it become successful and relevant in a fast changing gaming landscape.
It’s also great news for Benchmark. The VC has made early stage investments in four companies (Jamdat, Riot, Gaikai, NaturalMotion) which have exited for a gross value of $2 billion. That’s a great track record, and Mitch Lasky, the Benchmark partner who sat on NaturalMotion’s board, has blogged that they are looking for new investments. I look forward with interest to seeing which ones they make.