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LEAF Mobile poised to become the largest publicly-traded free to play mobile game company in Canada with $159M acquisition of East Side Games

LEAF Mobile poised to become the largest publicly-traded free to play mobile game company in Canada with $159M acquisition of East Side Games

Vancouver, BC (February 10, 2021) - LEAF Mobile Inc. (TSX:LEAF) has finalized the biggest acquisition in mobile games in Canada this year, a $159M deal with leading Canadian games publisher East SideGames (ESG) to create Canada’s largest publicly-traded mobile games company. Trading of LEAF Mobile (Ticker:LEAF) on the TSX commenced today.


LEAF Mobile is a Canadian-owned and operated free-to-play gaming group with two studios (ESG and LDRLY, pronounced “Leaderly”) in Vancouver and Nanaimo, respectively. The acquisition of industry leader ESG strengthens LEAF’s best-in-class portfolio of games and franchise development agreements, during a time of rapid growth for the mobile games space. In 2020, there was a projected +9.3 per cent year-on-year growth of the global games market, and by 2023, the games market is estimated to exceed $200 billion (according to games market analytics company, Newzoo.com).


“It’s LEAF’s ambition to be a world-class free-to-play mobile game group, both through our studio’s highly engaging games and our commitment to bettering the mobile games industry,” says Darcy Taylor, CEO of LEAF Mobile. “We’re excited to welcome East Side Games to the team, a studio that both produces top tier mobile experiences and has been paving the way for a more equitable industry for over a decade”.


The acquisition of ESG is part of an overall strategy by LEAF to combine diverse groups of mobile game studios / entrepreneurs that share a common set of beliefs on creating positive impact in the mobile games industry . In their acquisitions, LEAF is committed to providing the resources, tools and infrastructure to game studios to enable them to focus on what they do best: create great games. Both ESG and LDRLY ranked seventh and sixth respectively in App Annie’s Level Up Top Publisher Awards 2021 for top 10 publishers based in Canada by worldwide revenue, and ESG was recently recognised  on the “Top 50 Mobile Game Makers 2020” list compiled by Pocket Gamer Biz.

 

“The team at East Side Games is extremely excited to take this massive next step in our journey. By amalgamating our assets and talent with LEAF Mobile, we become one of, if not the leading, publicly traded mobile game company in Canada,” said Jason Bailey, cofounder of ESG and recently appointed Chief Revenue Officer of LEAF Mobile. “Now, together with LEAF, we look to supercharge our game growth and secure new IP licenses, while adding bench talent and diversifying our successful game portfolio. In my new role as Chief Revenue Officer of LEAF Mobile, I look forward to executing our M&A strategy and building development partnerships for our IdleKit platform. We are confident that the framework we have built in the IdleKit product will change how game development is done industry wide.”In the year ahead, LEAF will continue to leverage the power of IdleKit  to change the way games are built in the industry. Both ESG and LDRLY will collaborate with IP holders to bring to life B-Real of Cypress Hill, and other notable franchises titles in partnership with major TV content producers. Following the successful acquisitions of ESG and LDRLY, LEAF will continue to look for successful, like-minded studios that generate significant, long-term shareholder value in its goal of building a world-leading free-to-play mobile games company.
 

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About LEAF
LEAF Mobile Inc. (TSX:LEAF) is a leading free-to-play mobile game group, creating engaging games that produce enduring player loyalty. Our studio groups entrepreneurial culture is anchored in creativity,execution and growth through a diverse portfolio of original and licensed IP mobile games that include; Archer: Danger Phone, Dragon Up: Idle Adventure, The Goldbergs: Back to the 80s, It’s Always Sunny: The Gang Goes Mobile and Trailer Park Boys Grea$y Money. Cheech & Chong Bud Farm, Bud Farm Idle Tycoon, Bud Farm Grass Roots and Bud Farm 420.

We are headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, and its common shares will be listed for trading on Toronto Stock Exchange. Our games are available worldwide on the App Store and Google Play. For further information, please visit: www.leafmobile.io and join our online communities at Linkedin, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

 

About East Side Games
East Side Games, was founded in 2011 and has become of the most recognised independent developer and publisher of free to play mobile games. Headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, they have focused on making the best narrative idle games in the business, and creating the technology for developers to tell amazing stories. With a track record of over a decade of producing successful titles.

ESG currently publishes and operates successful franchise titles including Archer: Danger Phone, Dragon Up: Idle Adventure, The Goldbergs: Back to the 80s, It’s Always Sunny: The Gang Goes Mobile and Trailer Park Boys Grea$y Money. East Side Games was recently recognised on the “Top 50 Mobile Game Makers 2020” list compiled by Pocket Gamer Biz, on the “Canada’s Top Small & Medium Employers” list compiled by Canada’s Top 100, as well as on the “Canada’s Top Growing Companies 2019” list compiled by Globe & Mail Report on Business and 2020 Red Herring Top 100 North America Winners.

East Side Games strongly believes in community-driven design, making games built for fans by fans, and having the best culture around. Their games and their team have the same goal; to be inclusive and for everyone. For more information, visit www.eastsidegames.com


Media Contact:
Jenny McKenzie
Senior Account Manager, Yulu PR
jenny@yulupr.com
778-227-0274


 February 10, 2021