The publisher of NBA 2K just entered the soccer sphere. On Wednesday, Take-Two Interactive acquired Top Eleven developer Nordeus in a $378 million deal.
The Serbia-based mobile studio is best known for its soccer management title Top Eleven, which boasts over 240 million registered users. Take-Two will pay $225 million upfront in cash and $90 million in newly issued company shares. The deal could balloon to $378 million if the developer hits certain performance incentives over the next two years.
We’re delighted to be joining the Take-Two family. We found that we are connected with common values, culture, and a shared vision.
We are excited to take both our products and our work locally with them, as we continue our aim of putting Serbia on the global map of gaming. pic.twitter.com/M4HsLr2n3C
— Nordeus (@Nordeus) June 2, 2021
“Over the last decade, Top Eleven has grown its audience, revenue, and profitability through Nordeus’ introduction of live-ops and ongoing gameplay innovations that continue to drive ongoing consumer engagement,” said Take-Two EVP and head of strategy and independent publishing, Michael Worosz.
“Our investment in Nordeus strengthens further Take-Two’s mobile game business,” he continued. “…and broadens our sports portfolio with our first-ever soccer offerings.”
Top Eleven is one of the leading soccer games on mobile globally and the backing of Take-Two should help to feed the growing appetite for “the beautiful game” in the U.S. Top Eleven allows players to create and manage their own clubs and leads them through daily competitions with a worldwide community. Nordeus will still be led by its co-founders.
With its newest acquisition, Take-Two plants another flag firmly in the mobile space. The 2K publisher recently purchased the mobile studio Playdots for $192 million as well.