GameAddik Acquires Elusive Talent Agency

GameAddik acquires Elusive Talent Agency

Quebec, Canada-based GameAddik announced Wednesday that it has acquired Elusive Talent Agency for an undisclosed amount.

As part of the acquisition, Elusive Founder and CEO Kieran John will join GameAddik as vice president of talent.

Founded in 2018 by Kieran John, Elusive is a talent agency that represents content creators and influencers around the world on various streaming platforms. Elusive’s pool of talent has a collective audience of 20M and recently hit (as a group) 100M monthly views on YouTube, according to a release. The company claims that it represents more than 100 creators, including SsethTzeentach, BIG BOSS, VALEFISK, RANKIEONPC, FROST, AL1, REGGIE GAMES, and many others.

“Joining forces with GameAddik’s tech and infrastructure resources will elevate our influencer campaigns, creating even more value for our brand partners,” said Kieran John. “This alliance is not just about immediate impact; it’s about building enduring success.”

Elusive’s influencer and content creator business will be rolled into GameAddik’s portfolio of services, which includes PWN Games (a performance marketing network), and GameRebellion (a marketing analytics tool).

“We’re poised to elevate Elusive to greater success,” GameAddik CEO Eric Jodoin said in a release. “Our goal is to refine influencer marketing, ensuring every campaign is impactful and measurable. This acquisition is a strategic move to expand our reach and expertise, further positioning us as leaders and innovators in the industry.”

GameAddik, which currently employs around 37 people, launched in 2015 to tackle the world of online advertising, with a focus on gaming. In 2016, it launched PWN Games—a CPA network (an agency that serves as a conduit between advertisers/brands and publishers); and in 2017, it invested in the resources and talent needed to become a full-service marketing and ad-tech company. 

In 2022, ESE Entertainment acquired 100% of outstanding shares in GameAddik (9327-7458 Quebec Inc.) for a consideration of $4.8M CAD ($3.75M USD) cash paid in two tranches and 7,377,143 common shares of ESE – which closed at $1.63 CAD ($1.27 USD) when the acquisition was first announced on Dec. 1, 2021 – valuing the deal at approximately $12M CAD (roughly $9.39M USD at an exchange rate of 1 CAD = 0.7805 USD on Dec. 1, 2021, according to data from Exchange-Rate.org) at the time. Since that deal, ESE’s stock price continued plummeting and is currently sitting below $0.1 CAD ($0.07 USD) per share. 

Nevertheless, ESE was able to sell off a 70% majority stake in GameAddik to BlackPines Capital Partners Ltd. in an all-cash deal, for the aggregate purchase price of $9.1M CAD (roughly $6.87M USD at an exchange rate of 1 CAD = 0.7451 USD on Aug. 9, 2023), paid out in multiple tranches – adding roughly $1M CAD ($0.75M USD) to the assets valuation. ESE still owns the remaining 30% stake in GameAddik.