Israel’s Playtika to snap up Tel Aviv gaming startup rival for up to $1.95 billion
SuperPlay, founded by former Playtika employees, is creator of coin looter game Dice Dreams and Domino Dreams, a board game
Sharon Wrobel is a tech reporter for The Times of Israel.
Israeli online game developer Playtika has inked an agreement to snap up Tel Aviv-based peer SuperPlay in deal worth up to $1.95 billion.
As part of the agreement, Herzliya-based Playtika will pay an upfront $700 million for the mobile gaming firm as well as an additional consideration of up to $1.25 billion, depending on whether the maker of Dice Dreams and Domino Dreams hits certain financial targets over the next three years. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2024, subject to regulatory approvals.
Playtika’s Nasdaq-listed shares rose 0.8 percent on Wednesday before the announcement, giving the firm a market value of $2.93 billion.
Founded in 2019 by former Playtika employees Gilad Almog and Eyal Netzer, together with industry veteran Elad Drory, SuperPlay is the operator of a game development studio that has created two online games — Dice Dreams, a fast-growing coin looter game; and Domino Dreams, a board game.
In 2024, both Dice Dreams and Domino Dreams had 1.7 million average daily active users combined as of August. The firm said it had two more games in the pipeline but did not provide any further details.
“We see the acquisition of SuperPlay as a key move in strengthening Playtika’s leadership in mobile gaming, driving growth with scaled titles, and unlocking new opportunities,” said Playtika CEO Robert Antokol. “SuperPlay’s proven talent and success in navigating complex environments align seamlessly with our team.”
“Together, we’re expanding our ability to deliver exceptional experiences to players worldwide,” Antokol added.
Superplay’s investors include NFX, 83North, VGames, General Catalyst, Key1 Capital, O.G. Venture Partners, and Gal Ventures. The startup also has offices in Ukraine and Romania.
Following the transaction, Almog and Netzer will continue to lead SuperPlay as an independent studio within Playtika.
The deal comes after Playtika in September last year entered into an agreement to buy Israel-based Innplay Labs, a startup that focuses on the development of arcade and puzzle animation mobile games, for up to $300 million.
Founded in 2010 with headquarters in Herzliya, Playtika was a pioneer in the free-to-play games on social networks and mobile platforms and is the creator of such popular titles as Slotomania, House of Fun and Bingo Blitz. The gaming firm employs more than 3,000 workers, of which about a third are based in Israel.
