Between the Lines 39

UK: Suitable for retail and professional clients. Singapore: Suitable for sophisticated investors.

Between Week the lines 39

Microsoft adds to its Microsoft’s top five largest acquisitions gaming stable with ZeniMax deal The US software giant Microsoft is to * acquire ZeniMax Media, parent company of Bethesda Softworks, for $7.5bn in a deal $8.5bn $7.2bn $26.2bn $7.5bn $7.5bn that helps strengthen its games platform ahead of the release of the next generation of its Xbox console. 2011 2013 2016 2018 2020 The deal would be the second-largest gaming acquisition ever, behind Tencent’s purchase of a majority stake in Supercell Source: Microsoft/Quilter Investors. *Nokia’s devices and services business. Logos used for Illustrative purposes only. in 2016 for $8.6bn, and will see Microsoft gain control of gaming franchises from Microsoft is currently slated to release Satya Nadella, chief executive of eight studios with titles including Fallout, its Xbox Series S and Series X in Microsoft, noted: “Gaming is the most The Elder Scrolls and Doom. November in direct competition with expansive category in the entertainment Sony’s Playstation 5, and last week industry, as people everywhere turn to Having recently lost out in its bid for launched cloud gaming through the gaming to connect, socialise and play TikTok, the acquisition of ZeniMax marks Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. with their friends. Microsoft’s third-largest purchase ever behind LinkedIn and Skype. It also Once the deal is concluded Microsoft “Bethesda has seen success across every highlights the company’s focus on the will own 23 games studios, with titles category of games, and together, we will gaming market, estimated to be worth including Minecraft, Halo, Age of Empires, further our ambition to empower the $200bn in 2021. Wolfenstein, Battletoads, and Dishonoured. more than three billion gamers worldwide.”

Credit: D.Ribeiro/Shutterstock Credit: Artyom_Anikeev/iStock Kingfisher profits rise on lockdown DIY Rolls-Royce shares skid to 17-year low An increase in home improvements and DIY projects during The UK aerospace engineering firm Rolls-Royce saw its share lockdown saw Kingfisher’s adjusted pre-tax profits increase price tumble on Monday (21 Sept) to its lowest level since 2003, 23.1% in the first half of 2020 to £415m. after it confirmed it was considering a fund raising of up to £2.5bn. The parent company of B&Q and Screwfix in the UK, and The company has struggled during the coronavirus pandemic Castorama in France, said the impact of the coronavirus in in line with the travel industry, as airlines pay Rolls-Royce based the first three months of the year had been offset by a “strong on the number of hours its engines fly. recovery” in the second quarter. This had continued into the third In its 2020 half-year results the company noted flying hours fell quarter with like-for-like sales rising 16.6% to 19 September. by 75% in the second quarter alone. In particular the company benefited from a 164% increase in It had already announced plans to restructure the Civil online sales, with e-commerce now accounting for 19% of total Aerospace business as well as dispose of assets, but with its group sales compared with just 7% at the same time last year. share price having fallen around 75% since the start of the year Kingfisher attributed the improvement to the crisis prompting from 680p to 160p on 21 September, it has been suggested more people to “rediscover their homes” as well as creating the company would need to raise more cash. new home improvement needs, “as people seek new ways to Rolls-Royce admitted it was “evaluating the merits of raising use space or adjust to working from home”. equity of up to £2.5bn, through a variety of structures”, However, it highlighted the continued uncertainty and concerns including equity rights issues, and debt issuance. But added around coronavirus and the wider economic outlook, which that “no final decisions have been taken” on the methods or limits the visibility on sales for the rest of the financial year. precise amount to be raised. UK: Suitable for retail and professional clients. Singapore: Suitable for sophisticated investors.

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