WPP unveils USD8.1m minority stake in Realtime Worlds

Mon Apr 14 2008, 17:42 PM

Advertising giant WPP says it acquired a minority stake in Realtime Worlds for USD8.1m, as part of a USD50m investment round in the Scottish game developer, first disclosed last month. WPP was not named among the round's investors in initial reports. Maverick Capital led the funding and was accompanied by return backer New Enterprise Associates, which led a USD31m investment in Dec 2006.

Deal Details

Founded in Dundee in 2002, Realtime has worked on popular games titles such as 'Crackdown', 'Lemmings' and 'Grand Theft Auto'. It employs more than 200 staff, including those in its Colorado offices. WPP says the investment "builds on the new online advertising formats and content." It is also an investor in ad-supported game network WildTangent.