Games M&A hit a record $18.6 billion (€16.8bn) in the first half of the year, in a clear sign of late stage market consolidation. The biggest deal was the massive mobile consolidation of 84.3 per cent of Supercell by Tencent for $8.6 billion at a $10.2 billion valuation in Q2, after King’s $5.9 billion acquisition by Activision-Blizzard closed in the first quarter.

But those colossal deals weren’t the only mobile games companies changing hands, with CMGE being acquired in a reverse merger in China after delisting from NASDAQ last year, Vivendi muscling its way back into games with Gameloft, as well as more take privates and share buybacks rounding out the major transactions.

After last year’s games ice age saw deals drop by 81 per cent games M&A in the first half of 2016 is up nearly 1,000 per cent compared to the rate of deal making in 2015.

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