Dutch market research outfit Newzoo is now a sister company to internet front page Reddit and media publisher Conde Nast.
The Wired and New Yorker owner has bought a majority stake in the research firm, with no financial figure or specific percentage given as to how much of Newzoo Advance now owns.
“Since the recent rise of professional competitive gaming (esports) as a spectator sport, the border with traditional media and sports is blurring," Newzoo boss and co-founder Peter Warman said.
"With new disruptive trends already appearing on the horizon, market intelligence on these topics has become crucial to an ever-growing range of industries. Keeping ahead of the curve requires a specialist firm with agility in its DNA. We are that firm. We set out to find a strong independent partner in media and tech with complementary lines of business. With Advance, we have found exactly that and much more. Being part of the Advance family of companies provides us with new opportunities, such as our partnership with Sports Business Journal – a prospect that I’m particularly excited about.”
CFO and fellow co-founder Thijs Hagoort added: "We will use the investment to expand our organization and global presence, particularly in Asia and the U.S. This capital will also be used to increase investments into big data processing, machine learning, and interface technology that will power Newzoo’s upcoming services and future ambitions.”
This follows fellow relative newcomer in the data and research space SuperData being snapped up by Nielsen Holdings. Mainstream companies wanting to get an insight into the video games market is likely a much better indication of our sector's growth than most.
