Page 23 - bne monthly magazine October 2022

bne October 2022 Companies & Markets I 23
France's 52 Entertainment buys Bulgarian gaming developer Casualino
bne IntelliNews
French e-gaming company 52 Entertainment said it has acquired Bulgarian games development studio Casualino, improving its regional capabilities in board and card games.
The company did not disclose the value of the deal, but according to Capital weekly, the company is valued at around BGN90mn (€46mn).
“Joining forces, further solidifies the positioning of 52 Entertainment as one of the world's leader in online mind and strategy games with a roster including already Exoty Belote and Exoty Tarot, FunBelote or Canasta Junction adding an impressive roadmap and amazing list of titles already
ready for roll out all around the world from Casualino,” the company said in a press release.
The deal will help 52 Entertainment achieve its goal to become a major global digital company in the entertainment industry.
Casualino, set up in 2014 as a subsidiary of Zariba Group, is focused on developing multiplayer and single-player card and board games online.
The company has around 1mn active users per month, offering 42 live games. Its brands are popular in France, Bulgaria, Saudi Arabia and the US.
Serbia’s video game industry generated
revenues of €125mn in 2021 bne IntelliNews
Serbia’s video game development industry generated revenues of around €125mn in 2021, Mihailo Vesovic, director of the sector for strategic analysis, services and internationalisation at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia (PKS), told an event
on September 22.
Serbia is an emerging high-tech hub that is especially strong in blockchain and game development. Among the major global game developers in Serbia are Endava and UbiSoft, while there are also successful local companies such as Belgrade-based mobile games developer Nordeus, which was acquired by Take-Two Interactive for $378mn in 2021.
"With more than $200bn a year, the video game industry in the world and in our country is starting to be a huge force of development. More than 130 companies in Serbia employ about 3,000 people in this industry," Vesovic told the Level Up your IP: 101 Strategies for Videogame Developers meeting, a statement from the PKS said.
Vladimir Maric, director of the Institute for Intellectual Property, said that 5% of the GDP in Serbia is created by creative industries, and half of that amount comes from the ICT sector.
Globally, the gaming industry is predicted to be worth around $330 billion in 2026, and the number of gamers in the world will soon reach 3bn, according to the PKS.
Virag Halgand, head of the Department for Central Europe and Baltic and Mediterranean countries at the World Intellectual Property Organisation, noted that the video game industry has shown resilience over the last two years, and that demand is growing and not decreasing.
“With more than $200bn a year, the video game industry in the world and in our country is starting to be a huge force of development”
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