The name may not ring a bell, but Voodoo is behind many of the video games you know. Specializing in "hypercasual" games, the French unicorn has raised 266 million euros in financing, taking its valuation to 1.7 billion euros.
Voodoo, the specialist in "hypercasual" games
Founded in 2013 by Alexandre Yazdi and Laurent Ritter, Voodoo has rapidly carved out a place for itself in the video game world, becoming the global benchmark for so-called "hypercasuals " - "hyper-casual" video games. Hypercasuals are video games that are easy to learn and play, and last no more than a few minutes. They differ from casual games such as Angry Birds or Candy Crush.
Its "hypercasual" games include Paper.io, Helix Jump, Aquapark.io and Snake vs Block. A string of successes that have led to its meteoric growth.
Today, Voodoo develops mobile games in partnership with some 2,000 studios worldwide, with 300 million active players every month. To its credit, 230 titles are available free of charge on download platforms such as App Store and Google Play.
Voodoo passes 6 billion downloads milestone
Today, the video game market is dominated by the Chinese. However, France's Voodoo has managed to carve out a place for itself in this gigantic market. Despite a health crisis that has impacted on the activities of companies in this sector - users play a lot of video games while on the move - Voodoo has maintained and even extended its presence on the market.
In February 2022, Voodoo passed the 6 billion downloads mark for its entire game catalog. This milestone was reached less than 10 months after reaching 5 billion downloads.
Valuation at 1.7 billion euros
Success after success has led to exponential growth for the unicorn, which earns its income by displaying advertisements within its titles. Between 2016 and 2021, the group's annual revenues rose from 1.13 million to 425 million euros. By 2022, Voodoo's sales have even reached 600 million euros.
In August 2020, the company opened up its capital to China's Tencent, with an investment whose amount is not known, but which enabled it to be valued at over a billion euros and reach unicorn status.
Following in the footsteps of Tencent, Voodoo announced in July 2021 that it was raising 266 million euros from investment company Groupe Bruxelles Lambert (GBL).This brings the French unicorn's valuation to 1.7 billion euros.
Voodoo: key information
Number of employees to date
By 2023, the company will have more than 700 employees in offices in France, the UK, Turkey, Germany, Japan, Singapore and many other countries.
Sales figures
In 2022, the French unicorn's sales will reach $600 million, compared with $425 million in 2021, an increase of over 40%.
Going public
Voodoo is not yet listed on the stock exchange, and has not expressed any interest in going public.
Scalability
From the outset, Voodoo has adopted a strategic approach, enabling it to easily adapt its operations in line with demand and market trends. Its ability to produce hyper-casual, simple and addictive games is a real asset which has enabled it to build up a real community of loyal players around the world.
Mantra/Citation CEO
" We entertain millions of users around the world every month with our games and apps " - Voodoo.
