Integrated Media Company, the parent of GameSpot and Fandom, announced plans to acquire an 84.5% stake in game publisher Playstack for approximately £112.4 million ($151 million) [1, 2]. The acquisition is still subject to a shareholder vote and has not been finalized [1].
Playstack publishes several games including Balatro, The Case of the Golden Idol, The Rise of the Golden Idol, Ak-xolotl, Unbeatable, and About Fishing [1, 2]. The company is known for maintaining a hit ratio of over 85% on its game releases [1].
Playstack CEO Harvey Elliott said the deal represents "a change in ownership, rather than a change in who we are," adding that "our team, our strategy, and our commitment to publishing premium indie games remain exactly the same. For now, it’s business as usual" [1, 2].
Integrated Media Company is owned by private equity firm TPG Inc and operates 15 media and entertainment brands, including Fandom, Curse, Screen Junkies, GameSpot, and Metacritic [1, 2]. To facilitate acquisitions like this one, Integrated Media Company set up a new subsidiary called VantageCo Limited, which will be the buyer of Playstack’s stake [1, 2].
While one source refrains from stating a full valuation, the sale price for 84.5% implies Playstack’s total valuation is around £125 million (about $169 million) according to another [1, 2].
The earliest public notice of the planned sale appeared in May 2024, when Trufin Holdings announced its intent to sell the stake in Playstack to VantageCo Limited for £112.4 million [1]. The acquisition process is ongoing, awaiting shareholder approval before completion.
