Multi-player gaming operator Skillz has announced its acquisition of mobile marketing company Aarki in a move to create a fully-integrated esports advertising platform.
The deal will see Skillz combine its platform with Aarki’s advertising services and offer advertising across the mobile gaming industry.
“Aarki’s proven machine learning will pair with Skillz’s robust first-party data to create an unrivaled value proposition for game developers,” said Andrew Paradise, Skillz CEO.
“The integrated ecosystem will unlock new points of connectivity between consumers, developers, and brands, pairing the right impression with the right user at the right time, all while delivering a superior user experience.”
According to the agreement, Skillz will acquire Aarki for $150m (£105.8m/€122.9m) in cash and stock.
The deal is set to close in the third quarter of 2021.
“Joining Skillz will offer tremendous advantages to both the Aarki team and our customer community,” said Levon Budagyan, Aarki CEO.
“Harnessing the combined power of our data science platforms will further increase our industry-leading performance marketing.”
Budagyan will continue to lead Aarki, as the company will become a branch of Skillz.
In February, Skills entered into a partnership with the National Football League (NFL) to search for a developer to create a new mobile game for the NFL.
Last year Skillz’ revenue rocketed by 92% following the company’s listing on the New York Stock Exchange, through a merger with SPAC Flying Eagle Acquisition Corp.