Peacock Equity Fund in Majority Buyout of German Gaming Site

NEW YORK, June 9: In a
deal valued at 70 million euros ($109.4 million), GE and NBC Universal’s
Peacock Equity Fund, together with GMT Communications Partners (GMT), an
independent European private-equity group, have acquired a majority stake in
Bigpoint, a Germany-based developer and provider of browser-based multiplayer
online games.

Peacock Equity, GMT and
existing Bigpoint management will be Bigpoint’s new stakeholders. The agreement
is subject to regulatory approval and is expected to close within two months.
The selling stakeholders in the transaction are Aurelia Private Equity,
European Founders Fund and United Internet Beteiligungen.

Bigpoint has more than 23
million registered users. The portfolio includes 20-plus free multiplayer games
that can be accessed anytime, anywhere, with up to 130,000 users playing
concurrently, without downloading a client application. Based in Hamburg, the
company has more than 150 employees. Bigpoint generates revenues through
in-game virtual item purchases and advertising sales.

To continue Bigpoint’s growth
and expand its footprint in North America, NBC Universal will partner with the
company on a series of browser-based game titles that will be featured on its
SCI FI and USA Network websites. NBC Universal and GMT will further support the
development of new games, distribution platforms and marketing initiatives to
help strengthen and extend Bigpoint’s global position in Europe, North America
and Asia.

“The gaming space is a key
strategic focus area for Peacock Equity,” said Tom Byrne, the managing director
and group head of Peacock Equity. “We believe the growth characteristics of the
space, when coupled with what NBCU and GMT can do for Bigpoint’s continued
development, make this a very attractive investment opportunity.”

“We identified online
multiplayer games as a highly attractive sector for investment and Bigpoint
stands out as by far the best company in this space with a top-class management
team,” added Tim Green, the managing partner of GMT. “With the backing of both
GMT and Peacock Equity, Bigpoint is strongly positioned to extend its
leadership in the global online gaming market. As the only sector-focused
telecommunications fund in Europe, GMT’s deep industry knowledge gives us keen
insight into Bigpoint’s tremendous potential and we look forward to supporting
its continued expansion worldwide.”

“This is an exciting time
for everyone at Bigpoint,” concluded Heiko Hubertz, the founder and CEO of
Bigpoint. “With GMT and Peacock Equity’s support we are extremely well situated
to build on our current position as a world-leading online browser-based games
publisher. Due to the recent influx of people joining online communities like
Bigpoint our sector has experienced enormous growth over the past five years.
With both GMT and Peacock Equity’s backing we feel we are in a very strong
position to capitalize on this growth.”

Peacock
Equity is a $250-million global capital fund co-founded by GE Commercial
Finance’s Media, Communications and Entertainment business and NBC Universal.
Current and previous Peacock Equity investments include Adify, Healthline, IGA
Worldwide, 4INFO, Trion World Network and Loomia. Current and previous GMT
investments include Asiakastieto, Melita Cable, Primesight, Orion Publishing
and Invitel.

—By Irene Lew