National law firm Shoosmiths has advised GAME Digital, the high street and on-line specialist games retailer, on the acquisition of Multiplay (UK) Limited, an event and gaming community focused company, for circa £20 million.
Shoosmiths' corporate partner Adam Dowdney led a team of corporate specialists on the multi-million pound deal, comprising associate Nina Smith and paralegal James Arnold. Additional specialist legal advice was also given by Phil Ryan (partner, regulatory), Simon Edwards (partner, commercial), Stuart Lawrenson (partner, employment), Laurence Kaye (partner, publishing and digital media), Aisling Duffy (senior associate, data protection), Suzanne Love (associate, banking) and Jamie Chambers (solicitor, tax).
Hampshire based Multiplay was established in 1997 and has organised more than 150 gaming events in the UK and internationally, including the UK's biggest gaming event, the Insomnia Gaming Festival. It also provides online multiplayer gaming services to millions of PC gamers around the world, working with, amongst others, Mojang, Nexan, Electronic Arts and Ubisoft.
Adam Dowdney said: 'We were delighted to work with Benedict Smith, Lucy Hollis and the team at Game on such a strategically important acquisition for the Group. Throughout the transaction we got a great sense of the opportunities offered for both businesses by the transaction and the passion and enthusiasm they share.
'All parties worked together extremely well to get the complex deal completed on a tight timetable which bodes well for an exciting future for the combined group'.
Benedict Smith, GAME Digital finance director, said 'This was a relatively small but important strategic transaction for GAME. Led by Adam, the team at Shoosmith's were of great assistance supporting the contractual elements of the transaction and helping to ensure it was completed within the challenging timetable we had set ourselves'.
Shoosmiths' corporate team has advised public and private companies, management teams, investors and debt providers through the business life cycle. Shoosmiths work with businesses from start up and first round finance through to mergers and acquisitions, MBO and MBI transactions, development funding and on exits, by way of sale, listing or private equity investment.
The national corporate team has recently been placed second by deal volume in Experian's UK Deal Review and Advisor League Table.