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Asmodee Sold

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SR Updated
Asmodee sold

Game Information

There Will Be Games

PAI Partners, a private equity group, has entered exclusive discussions to acquire Asnodee €1.2bn. A formal announcement of the purchase is expected soon.

The acquisition of Asmodee would be the first investment made by PAI Europe VII, which reached a successful final close at €5.1 billion in March 2018 after less than six months of active marketing.

In a press release, PAU Partners said that "PAI intends to support the current management team in its plans to grow the business further through international expansion both organically and by acquisition." 

Gaëlle d'Engremont, Partner at PAI Partners, added, "We are excited by the company’s growth prospects, which include further developing Asmodee’s position in the core hobby gaming market and successfully diversifying the group’s main brands onto other platforms. We look forward to working together to deliver on our ambitious objectives.”

There Will Be Games Asmodee sold
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Gary Sax's Avatar
Gary Sax replied the topic: #278085 21 Jul 2018 19:25
Yikes. I wouldn't want to work at any of the Asmodee subproperties. It isn't always this way, but private equity purchases can be famously bad for an incredibly short term outlook wrt to personnel, salries, and investment.
Sagrilarus's Avatar
Sagrilarus replied the topic: #278090 21 Jul 2018 20:11
Probably really bad news.
Gary Sax's Avatar
Gary Sax replied the topic: #278092 21 Jul 2018 20:26
Reminds me of the Toys-R-Us thing where it was profitable but since they borrowed deeply against their own purchase they had to run it into the ground. I won't go too much further into economic/political opinions but it can be ugly.
SuperflyPete's Avatar
SuperflyPete replied the topic: #278093 21 Jul 2018 20:43
“These wankers have been passed around like a poker chip in Vegas” ~ Superfly Circus
Michael Barnes's Avatar
Michael Barnes replied the topic: #278096 21 Jul 2018 20:57
First step is extreme corner-cutting, reducing quality to maximize profit. Then it’s homogenization and consolidation followed by redundancies. Subsidiaries are shuttered or sold off permanently crippled. The private equity firm makes a bunch of money and leaves wreckage behind. This is really bad.
Sagrilarus's Avatar
Sagrilarus replied the topic: #278097 21 Jul 2018 21:17
First step is putting in their own staff on board as consultants at $1200 an hour to bleed off value into the parent company by legal means. Buy Asmodee’s real estate and then lease it back, etc. Move money to the parent company.

Here’s hoping that’s not the case, but that’s what did in Toys R Us.

Don’t care much about Big Gaming Inc and frankly the industry fracturing back into a cottage industry might be a welcome change for buyers. But anyone working at Asmodee can’t be thinking this is a good turn of events.
Gary Sax's Avatar
Gary Sax replied the topic: #278099 21 Jul 2018 21:44
Basically Greed Inc or the most shareholding focused version of 18XX. ;)
SuperflyPete's Avatar
SuperflyPete replied the topic: #278101 21 Jul 2018 21:48
Can’t wait for the company to tank.

I’d love to see Plaid Hat and Space Cowboys go back to being standalone companies that aren’t beholden to P/L charts and investor demands.
Colorcrayons's Avatar
Colorcrayons replied the topic: #278106 21 Jul 2018 22:25
I have several friends and a couple relatives in all but name that are employed by Asmodee.

I think the only one who will make it out of this comfortably is CP who took his buy out earnings of FFG and reinvested it to be the big wig of Asmodee NA.

As is usual in these sorts of things. :/
jeb's Avatar
jeb replied the topic: #278111 22 Jul 2018 00:57
I hope it all works out for the best for their employees and products.
southernman's Avatar
southernman replied the topic: #278113 22 Jul 2018 06:22
Sounds like the Digital side of Asmodee is going to get a lot more focus, more cash to be made in putting out an electronic game in the ether than boardgames with all their manufacturing requirements. But on the other hand boardgames are becoming more socially popular in Europe (one friend's daughter is going to a wedding where they will be playing boardgames!) so maybe enough profit still there to keep the razors away ... here's hoping.
Chaz's Avatar
Chaz replied the topic: #278116 22 Jul 2018 08:34
This is kind of what I was afraid of happening as Asmodee went on its massive buying spree of game publishers.
Shellhead's Avatar
Shellhead replied the topic: #278118 22 Jul 2018 09:44
Asmodee North America made some cuts to staff several months ago, possibly to prepare for sale. Hopefully that means that the remaining employees are relatively safe for now. I firmly believe that we will be seeing another recession soon, but that isn't necessarily bad for Asmodee. They've still got hot licenses for Star Wars and Game of Thrones, and many of those fans would rather cut back on groceries than cut back on their fandom spending.
Cranberries's Avatar
Cranberries replied the topic: #278232 24 Jul 2018 01:31
So will this sale decrease the availability of any good games? Are there any publishers that *weren't* acquired by Asmodee?
ubarose's Avatar
ubarose replied the topic: #278233 24 Jul 2018 01:53

cranberries wrote: So will this sale decrease the availability of any good games? Are there any publishers that *weren't* acquired by Asmodee?




Asmodee has:

Fantasy Flight
Z-Man
Plaid Hat
Space Cowboys
Days of Wonder
Mayfairs titles

I don't think it will decrease the availability of good games. They have mostly just been riding these brands cash cows these past few years anyway.
Michael Barnes's Avatar
Michael Barnes replied the topic: #278234 24 Jul 2018 02:06

cranberries wrote: So will this sale decrease the availability of any good games? Are there any publishers that *weren't* acquired by Asmodee?


Steve Jackson Games and Twilight Creations.

We’re doomed.
ubarose's Avatar
ubarose replied the topic: #278240 24 Jul 2018 02:55

Michael Barnes wrote:

cranberries wrote: So will this sale decrease the availability of any good games? Are there any publishers that *weren't* acquired by Asmodee?


Steve Jackson Games and Twilight Creations.

We’re doomed.


Stronghold
Gale Force Nine
AEG
GMT
Academy Games
Level 99
DVG
Victory Point
Renegade
IDW
CMON
Columbia
WizKids
Wizards of the Coast/Avalon Hill
Games Workshop
Pegasus Spiele
Gamelyn Games
Flying Frog
Greater than Games
USAopoly
Cryptozoic
Ares
Upper Deck
Plan B
Mondo...

That’s just off the top of my head. There’s hundreds of publishers.

Yeah, I don’t think there is anything for board game consumers to worry about. And even if PAI closed up shop on all their brands tomorrow, other publishers would buy the cash cow titles.
Frohike's Avatar
Frohike replied the topic: #278245 24 Jul 2018 04:48
Some heart, some wargame, some trash, some innovation... I like this list.

Hmm, I think Asmodee has runway clearance for its flight into the sun.
Gary Sax's Avatar
Gary Sax replied the topic: #278257 24 Jul 2018 09:22
I feel for the employees more than I'm worried about the games. Uba is absolutely right that the games will find new homes.
Shellhead's Avatar
Shellhead replied the topic: #278260 24 Jul 2018 09:29
I was mistaken. Asmodee did terminate some employees months ago. They have continued to cut staff since then. Some of the people that they have let go were there for a long time.
Ken B.'s Avatar
Ken B. replied the topic: #278577 27 Jul 2018 17:20
Golly, who saw a pump-and-dump coming?


Oh, right. Lots of us did.


Wish I could go find the chucklefucks on BGG who when all this started years ago were like, "Let's just wait and see what happens."
boothwah's Avatar
boothwah replied the topic: #278583 27 Jul 2018 17:54

Ken B. wrote: Golly, who saw a pump-and-dump coming?


Oh, right. Lots of us did.


Wish I could go find the chucklefucks on BGG who when all this started years ago were like, "Let's just wait and see what
happens."





It has been 3 months since the last appearance of Ken B.