AI Games FZ, a subsidiary of Azur Games, has acquired the hypercasual portfolio of Turkish mobile game developer Good Job Games, according to Turkey’s Competition Authority and Mobidictum.
This acquisition comes on the heels of Moon Active’s acquisition of Good Job Games’ Zen Match for an estimated $100-$150 million in December. However, the value of this latest deal has so far not been disclosed.
Good Job Games was founded in 2017 and since then has become a big success, with over 30 games in its portfolio, several of which have achieved more than 100 million downloads. In January 2021, it was reported that the company saw 82.2% engagement in terms of video ad shares, the highest of all game developers on the App Store, highlighting a particular strength in terms of user acquisition.
AI Games FZ has developed a number of titles such as Stack Ball and Bike Hop.
What’s the motive?
Hypercasual as a genre is one that’s seen its share of struggles in recent years, thanks in part to new ATT guidelines impacting its ability to effectively acquire new users. This led to Voodoo’s Alex Shea infamously stating that the genre is dead at PGC London 2023, despite the genre leading download charts in 2022.
The changing market has forced companies to adapt, with many shifting to focus on the burgeoning hybridcasual market. However, this leaves space for those companies that remain focused on the hypercasual genre to make key acquisitions, increasing their own market share. With Good Job Games’ proven success in user acquisition and the size of its portfolio, this suggests that AI Games FZ’s decision to acquire the company’s portfolio is one such acquisition.
In October, AI Games FZ parent company Azur Games released a blog post analysing the shift in hypercasual development throughout the pandemic.
