Mandate profile
Mobile game studio buyer profile
Buyer profile: a mobile games publisher acquiring studios with live, profitable titles, strong retention and a team that keeps shipping.
Casual, hybrid-casual, puzzle and mid-core studios are all in scope.
Mandate profile
Why publishers buy mobile game studios.
- Reference
- AQ-0491
- Sector
- Media & gaming
- Region
- Europe, Israel, Turkey, Asia-Pacific
- Last reviewed
Mobile games publishers grow by buying studios with proven live games and teams that can launch more. A title with steady daily players and healthy monetisation is worth more inside a publisher with scale in user acquisition, ad monetisation and live operations.
This profile covers casual, hybrid-casual, puzzle, word, idle and mid-core studios across Europe, Israel, Turkey and Asia-Pacific. Studios with at least one live game earning reliably, and a team with a track record of launches, are the core focus.
Buyers here keep studios independent creatively, adding user acquisition budget and technology. Earn-outs reward growth after completion.
Acquisition criteria
What this buyer is looking for.
The buyer invests in proven live-ops talent. Five factors guide the search.
Live titles
Games earning today with ongoing updates.
Retention
D1, D7 and D30 retention above genre benchmarks.
Monetisation balance
Healthy mix of IAP and ads.
UA economics
Payback periods that support scaling.
Team quality
Designers, engineers and live-ops specialists who want to stay.
Close, but not an exact match? Tell us anyway.
Share an overview
Target financial profile
The numbers this buyer type works to.
Typical ranges for this profile. Businesses outside a range are still assessed on their overall strength.
- Revenue
- US$2M–US$50M a year
- Daily players
- Stable or rising daily actives
- Revenue mix
- In-app purchases and ads
- Retention
- Strong day-1, day-7 and day-30
- Typical valuation basis
- Multiple of profit, with earn-out
- Consideration
- Cash plus earn-out, team retained
Deal structure and terms
Structure
Acquisition plus earn-out linked to game performance.
Creative autonomy
Studios keep their identity and roadmap.
Team
Retention packages for leads and key developers.
Support
Group user acquisition and monetisation tools.
What makes a relevant business
Games players open every single day.
What stands out is a team that can ship hits repeatedly.
All of these are welcome
- Casual, hybrid-casual or mid-core
- Self-published or partnered
- Profitable or scaling
- Founder-led or VC-backed
- Any of the listed regions
Hit rate
More than one successful title.
Tech stack
Reusable engine, tools or analytics.
Organic installs
Featuring and word-of-mouth.
Pipeline
Promising titles in soft launch.
Market drivers
What keeps demand strong in casual and mid-core mobile game studios.
Hybrid-casual growth
Hybrid monetisation lifts revenue per player.
Consolidation
Publishers want proven studios.
AI tooling
AI speeds up content and live operations.
How it works
You decide what is shared, and when.
Nothing goes to any buyer automatically. Every step after the first happens only if there is potential fit and you are comfortable going further.
- 1
Share an overview
Send a short, non-confidential summary using the form. Anonymous is fine at this stage.
- 2
Acquiry reviews fit
We compare it with this profile and the buyers we work with, and tell you plainly whether there is a match, usually with a few questions.
- 3
Agree what can be disclosed
If there is potential fit, we agree with you what can be shared, and with whom, before anything moves.
- 4
Detailed discussions
Deeper conversations progress under confidentiality arrangements put in place for that discussion.
Submit an opportunity
Think your business could fit AQ-0491?
Tell us a little about it. A short, non-confidential overview is enough, and you can leave the company name out. We review every submission ourselves and reply directly.
AQ-0491 is a mandate profile, not a named buyer. We match your overview against the buyers we work with and tell you honestly whether there is a fit.
- Reviewed by Acquiry, never sent to any buyer automatically
- Anonymous overviews welcome
- Owners and advisers both welcome
FAQ
Before you send anything.
What does this mandate profile describe?
It sets out what a mobile games publisher looks for in an acquisition: the target profile, deal size, structure and regions shown above.
What is Acquiry’s role?
Acquiry works on the buy side. Profiles like this one set out the criteria acquirers in this segment use to assess targets.
Will the studio keep its identity?
Yes. Studios usually keep their name, culture and creative independence.
Is a single-hit studio in scope?
Yes, if the title has longevity and the team has more to come.
Is one live game enough?
Yes, where it earns reliably and the team can build more.
Are pre-launch studios considered?
The focus is live revenue; strong pre-launch teams are assessed on merit.
Do mid-core games fit?
Yes, alongside casual and hybrid-casual.