Media and Entertainment Gaming Services sector
Strategic acquirers, private equity (buyout funds and growth funds) firms, and valuation benchmarks for Media and Entertainment Gaming Services
1.1 - About Media and Entertainment Gaming Services sector
Companies in this category deliver outsourced and managed services spanning the video game lifecycle, from production to live operations. Providers in Media and Entertainment Gaming Services help studios and publishers accelerate builds, certify quality, localize content for new regions, run scalable live-ops, and activate communities and esports. Their capabilities compress time-to-market, improve player experience, stabilize online performance, and support sustainable monetization across console, PC, and mobile.
These companies typically provide functional and compliance QA testing, localization and LQA, art, animation and audio production outsourcing, porting and co-development across engines, live-operations management with telemetry, economy tuning and A/B experimentation, community support with player care, moderation and trust and safety, user acquisition and influencer campaign services, and esports event production and broadcast operations. Offerings are delivered with scalable workflows, proprietary toolchains, and cross-platform expertise attractive to strategic buyers.
Primary customers include AAA and mid-market game publishers, mobile gaming studios, and platform operators. By outsourcing to specialized providers, buyers shorten development cycles, hit certification milestones, expand into new geographies with culturally adapted content, maintain compliant and safe communities, improve retention and ARPDAU through optimized live-ops, and reduce fixed costs by converting variable workloads for QA, support, content production, and event operations.
2. Buyers in the Media and Entertainment Gaming Services sector
2.1 Top strategic acquirers of Media and Entertainment Gaming Services companies
Accel Entertainment
- Description: Provider of distributed gaming and local entertainment services, installing, maintaining and operating gaming terminals, ATM‐enabled redemption devices and amusement equipment in authorized non-casino venues, while also designing and manufacturing terminals and delivering turnkey, full-service gaming solutions and stand-alone ATMs across restaurants, bars, truck stops and similar locations in the United States.
- Key Products:
- Video Gaming Terminal Placement & Operation: Installs, maintains and operates VGTs inside licensed bars, restaurants and other venues, handling compliance, servicing and revenue sharing to deliver turnkey gaming experiences
- Vertically Integrated Gaming Platform: Provides end-to-end control from terminal hardware design through proprietary software deployment and on-site technical service, ensuring reliability and rapid upgrades
- Data Analytics & Performance Optimization: Utilizes market insights and analytics tools to monitor play data, adjust game mix and maximize earnings for host locations and the company
- Distributed Gaming Network Management: Manages a large multistate network of over 27,000 terminals across 10 states, offering scalable distributed gaming access and diversification for growth.
- Company type: Private company
- Employees: ●●●●●
- Total funding raised: $●●●m
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- Acquisitions: ●●
2.2 - Strategic buyer groups for Media and Entertainment Gaming Services sector
M&A buyer group 1: PC and Console Game Publishers
Devolver Digital
- Type: N/A
- Employees: ●●●●●
- Description: Provider of independent video-game publishing and related media services, Devolver Digital publishes indie titles worldwide via digital platforms, and also operates Devolver Digital Films for film distribution.
- Key Products:
- Indie Game Publishing: Publishes independent games, handling logistical release tasks so developers focus on creation, with breakout successes such as Hotline Miami
- Digital Distribution Support: Avoids physical formats and targets platforms like Steam, focusing publishing efforts on digital channels worldwide
- Devolver Digital Films: Subsidiary that acquires and distributes independent movies, filling gaps in financial and distribution support for filmmakers
- Big Fan Games: Dedicated publishing branch helping indie teams build games based on licensed intellectual properties from major media holders.
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●● companies3. Investors and private equity firms in Media and Entertainment Gaming Services sector
3.1 - Buyout funds in the Media and Entertainment Gaming Services sector
2.2 - Strategic buyer groups for Media and Entertainment Gaming Services sector
4 - Top valuation comps for Media and Entertainment Gaming Services companies
4.2 - Public trading comparable groups for Media and Entertainment Gaming Services sector
Valuation benchmark group 1: Enterprise IT Consulting and Solutions Providers
International Business Machines
- Enterprise value: $●●●m
- Market Cap: $●●●m
- EV/Revenue: ●.●x
- EV/EBITDA: ●●.●x
- Description: Provider of integrated solutions including hybrid cloud and AI platforms, consulting expertise, software, and infrastructure services aimed at helping clients transform business processes, manage data, enhance operational efficiency, and secure IT assets globally.
- Key Products:
- Watson AI: AI platform for natural language processing and machine learning
- IBM Cloud: Cloud computing services providing IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS solutions
- QRadar: Security information and event management system
- IBM Cloud Pak for Data: Data and AI platform for data management and analytics
- IBM Z: High-performance mainframe computers.