Reliance Big Entertainment to acquire 50 pc shareholding in British publisher Codemasters

Codemasters, one of the leading British developer and publisher of world-class video games, has announced that Reliance Big Entertainment Ltd (RBEL), a part of Reliance ADA Group, has agreed to acquire a 50 per cent shareholding in the company, alongside existing investor, Balderton Capital, one of the leading European venture capital firms that first invested in Codemasters in 2005.

RBEL’s gaming division, Zapak Digital Entertainment Ltd, will oversee the Codemasters investment.

Zapak is one of the largest gaming companies in India, with interests in online casual games, massively multiplayer online games (MMOG) publishing, India’s largest chain of gaming cafes and physical distribution of gaming software. Zapak also controls Jump Games, an award winning international mobile game development and publishing company with global distribution across Asia, Europe, North America, and South America.

Rohit Sharma, CEO, Zapak, said, "We are excited to partner with Codemasters and believe its 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 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) and annual revenues in excess of $150 million.

Rod Cousens, CEO, Codemasters, 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 realise the full potential of our game coding and online excellence across so many platforms, and especially in the world’s fastest growing markets. The future of Codemasters has never looked brighter. It’s a whole new game.”

Tim Bunting, Balderton Partner, said, “We are delighted to welcome Reliance as our partner in Codemasters and gratified by the confidence in Codemasters that Reliance’s initiative represents.”

Codemasters (www.codemaster.com), the award winning games developer and publisher, has a 21-year heritage in the UK and annual revenues in excess of $150 million. Headquartered in Warwickshire, UK, the company maintains European operations in Germany, France, Spain, and Benelux and, in 2006, established its US operations in California.