Financial Reports·Updated Mar 17, 2026 by Drake Star Partners
Investment activity rebounded in Q1 2024 with $2.4 billion in M&A across 47 deals and an additional $2.4 billion in private equity financing across 188 transactions.
Capital is shifting toward technology-enabled and blockchain-centric ventures, with blockchain-focused early-stage deals accounting for 40% of total deal volume.
Market valuation is diverging, as hardware and ad-tech firms like NVIDIA (EV/EBITDA ≈36×) and Applovin (EV/EBITDA ≈7.8×) command premium multiples compared to struggling traditional publishers.
Flagship M&A activity remains focused on established IP, evidenced by the $1.1 billion acquisition of Jagex by CVC and Haveli and Take-Two’s $460 million purchase.
Public market performance is highly polarized, with firms like Wemade (+140%) and Konami (+79%) seeing significant gains while Embracer experienced a 54% contraction.
Traditional publishers, including Roblox, Skillz, and Atari, are facing significant headwinds characterized by revenue declines, financial losses, and lower market confidence.
Investment activity rebounded in Q1 2024 with $2.4 billion in M&A across 47 deals and an additional $2.4 billion in private equity financing across 188 transactions.
Capital is shifting toward technology-enabled and blockchain-centric ventures, with blockchain-focused early-stage deals accounting for 40% of total deal volume.
Market valuation is diverging, as hardware and ad-tech firms like NVIDIA (EV/EBITDA ≈36×) and Applovin (EV/EBITDA ≈7.8×) command premium multiples compared to struggling traditional publishers.
Flagship M&A activity remains focused on established IP, evidenced by the $1.1 billion acquisition of Jagex by CVC and Haveli and Take-Two’s $460 million purchase.
Public market performance is highly polarized, with firms like Wemade (+140%) and Konami (+79%) seeing significant gains while Embracer experienced a 54% contraction.
Traditional publishers, including Roblox, Skillz, and Atari, are facing significant headwinds characterized by revenue declines, financial losses, and lower market confidence.