UK social games publisher Zattikka acquires 3 studios as it goes public

Zattikka, the social game developer behind the Monty Python collaboration title The Ministry of Silly Games, today floated on the London Stock Exchange, marking the first social games studio in the UK to do so. Dealing under the ticker code ZATT, the London-based studio has floated on the Alternative Investment Market, a submarket of the LSE, with a price of £1.00 ($1.58) per share, and a market cap of £22 million ($34.8 million). The studio has also raised £12.6 million ($20.0 million), with which it plans to complete the acquisition of three online gaming studios. The acquisitions are soccer management game specialist Hattrick Holdings, casual gaming studio Sneaky Games and art and design house Concept Art House. With this move into the London Stock Exchange, Zattikka plans to expand its publishing operations and offer a more diverse range of games across a wider number of digital platforms, focusing mainly on Europe, the U.S. and China. The company also plans to acquire even more IP game assets and businesses that if believes are complementary to its plans. Mark Opzoomer, CEO of Zattikka, explained, "We are delighted to list on AIM to provide the capital base and incentivise the entrepreneurs joining our group." "We begin with a strong group of companies with operations in key gaming centres in the USA, China and Europe, a mix of revenues across subscriptions, virtual goods and work for hire with an exceptional team of talent. We have a great opportunity before us to accelerate the growth of this initial group across multi-platforms to create a world class games entertainment group." Zattikka acquired the Monty Python License back in 2010, and released a minigames collection in collaboration with the revered comedy group.