Jun 3, 2013

Tweet Bigpoint, a German online gaming firm, agreed to a majority stake sale to joint buyers NBC Universal’s Peacock Equity Fund and GMT Communications Partners, it was announced Monday. Bigpoint sold itself for about $110 million, with prior stakeholders Aurelia Private Equity, European Founders Fund and United Internet Beteiligungen cashing in on the popularity of games like DarkOrbit, F1Manager and The Pimps. According to the terms of the deal, NBC will acquire 35 percent of Bigpoint, with GMT acquiring an equal stake, and the company’s Chief Executive Officer, Heiko Hubertz, reinvesting some of the proceeds to maintain a 30 percent share. “Due to the recent influx of people joining online communities like Bigpoint, our sector has experienced enormous growth over the past five years,” Hubertz said in a statement. “With both GMT and Peacock Equity’s backing we feel we are in a very strong position to capitalize on this growth.” Hubertz founded the company six years ago. Bigpoint’s multiplayer game platform extends to more than 23 million registered users and generates its revenue through in-game virtual item purchases and advertising sales. A recent ad sales strategy allows companies buying space within Bigpoint games to post their advertisements on game characters and insert product placement spots into the site.