Reliance Big Entertainment, a part of Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group, has acquired 50 per cent stake in
Big Entertainment
Codemasters, a UK-based developer and publisher of video games. The remaining stake in Codemasters is with European venture capital firm Balderton Capital, which first invested in the company in 2005. According to Reliance, its gaming division Zapak Digital Entertainment will oversee the Codemasters investment.
Codemasters has major franchises in cricket games (The Ashes), racing games (Formula 1, Dirt2 and Race Driver Grid), performance games (Dance Factory) and military simulations (Operation Flashpoint 2). The company has annual revenues in excess of $150 million and employs over 450 people across its offices in UK, Germany, France, Spain, Benelux and US.
Rohit Sharma, CEO, Zapak, has said, “We are excited to partner with Codemasters and believe its very strong technology, development and distribution presence will complement our global gaming portfolio. Additionally, Zapak’s global strength in mobile gaming will enhance Codemasters’ ability to fully leverage its attractive franchises such as its racing and cricket games.”
Codemasters
Rod Cousens, CEO, Codemasters, has said, “The opportunities arising from this partnership are truly exciting. This is great news for our development and publishing teams. Reliance and Zapak have immense resources and will help us realize the full potential of our game coding and online excellence across so many platforms, and especially in the world’s fastest growing markets.”
