Rovio Entertainment Oyj said it’s in talks about a potential takeover offer from Sega Sammy Holdings Inc. after a strategic review by the Finland-based Angry Birds creator.
(Bloomberg) — Rovio Entertainment Oyj said it’s in talks about a potential takeover offer from Sega Sammy Holdings Inc. after a strategic review by the Finland-based Angry Birds creator.
“There is no certainty as to when the possible tender offer would take place or whether it would take place at all, nor as to the terms,” Rovio said in a statement on Saturday.
Earlier, people familiar with the matter said the Japanese video game maker could announce a deal for Rovio on Monday pending the outcome of talks.
Rovio declined to comment on an estimated valuation. The Wall Street Journal reported that Sega is nearing a deal to acquire Rovio for $1 billion.
A Sega spokesman said before Rovio’s statement that no “final decision” had been made on any offer and that the company continues to explore how best to “enhance its corporate value.”
Rovio announced Feb. 6 that it was starting a strategic review and had entered non-binding discussions with parties including Playtika Holding Corp., which had offered to acquire it for €9.05 a share. Rovio said March 22 that it had ended talks with Israel-based Playtika, sending its shares down the most since August.
Shares of Rovio are still up 28% this year. They rose 1.1% to €7.78 Friday in Helsinki, giving the company a market value of €645 million ($709 million).
Buoyed by strong earnings and forecasts, Sega has surged 33% this year, elevating its market value to 642 billion yen ($4.8 billion).
–With assistance from Kati Pohjanpalo, Lisa Du and Takashi Hirokawa.
(Updates with Rovio’s confirmation of talks.)
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