Digital Development Management (DDM), the world’s leading business and talent agency specialising in the video game and digital entertainment industries, has appointed Guillermo Ariasto in a leadership role in their investment service division.
This division acts as a merger and acquisition (M&A) broker, both for companies seeking a buyer and those looking to source acquisition targets.
According to DDM Games investment review, 2022 is set to record the third highest total gaming investment ever recorded, with $2.2 billion in Q3 alone. Since initiating its investment services division, DDM has been responsible for a dozen investments, including a recent investment in PopReach Games by Alibaba’s investment division Joinme.
“Investments in gaming has exploded in recent years. With all this activity, and as our division continues to grow, it is of the utmost importance we advise our clients appropriately to ensure they understand all financial aspects of any potential transaction,” said DDM partner and executive vice president Maarden de Koning. “We are thrilled to have Guillermo leveraging his vast experience in this regard.”
A big year for game investment
Arias brings twenty-six years of experience to his new role as investment services director, where he will report to de Koning. This includes experience in international finance for companies such as Bank of America, Phillips Electronics, American Express, and MBNA. In addition, Arias has spent more than a decade running his own business advisory firm, GAN Financial Management, where he was involved with M&A transactions from both the buyers and sellers sides, as well as advising clients from a number of different industries, including video game businesses.
“I worked with Maarten on a major project and got to know him and to learn how special DDM is as a company. I am thrilled to join the team to help take DDM’s Investment Services to the next level.”
DDM is creating its own proprietary game industry development studio valuation team, leveraging the combined experience of the company and Arias to help companies scale.
We keep a list of the biggest video gaming acquisitions of all time, with Microsoft’s ongoing acquisition of Activision Blizzard at the top of the charts.
