Berkeley's California Memorial Stadium rebranded as Kabam Field
| Date | Type | Companies Involved | Size |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 8, 2014 | license | Kabam | Not disclosed |
When it comes to the new wave of games companies looking to IPO, Kabam is in the vanguard.
In that context, the recent comment from head of global communications Steve Swasey that the company's board is still "considering" an IPO has been underlined by Kabam's increasingly active promotion of its own brand.
One such is a deal to rebrand the University of California in Berkeley's American football stadium.
The 62,500-capacity venue, which was built by public donations following World War 1, now becomes Kabam Field at California Memorial Stadium.
Running a play
It's an interesting move for the company, which has its main headquarters in San Francisco, across the Bay from Berkeley.
Kabam recently announced it expected 2014 sales to be at least $550 million, which would be an increase of 35 percent on 2013.
It's also expanding rapidly in Europe, with its new Berlin office expected to be 150-strong by the end of 2014, up from its current headcount of 80.
Still, it's external forces which will likely control the timetable to any IPO, especially medium term market reaction to King's IPO in March 2014.
Its share price is yet to top its launch price of $22.50, while Zynga, the other recent big games IPO, remains well beneath its float price of $10.
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