Unity to Buy Ad Tech Firm IronSource for $4.4 bln

Unity Software agreed to buy app monetization company IronSource in an all-stock deal valued at about $4.4 billion.

IronSource's advertising technology has recently suffered from Apple's new data-privacy changes, and the Unity's participation is expected to help the gaming platform boost its advertising technology.

Although the companies areas of activities interlap, as they both run ad networks and are able to collect a lot of data, Unity is interested in some IronSource's technologies.

In an interview to Bloomberg, CEO of Unity John Riccitiello it would “take years” for Unity to internally build parts of IronSource’s ad technology, which gives game developers tools to find customers, make their games stickier, and earn money faster.

We believe the world is a better place with more successful creators in it. The combination of Unity and ironSource better supports creators of all sizes by giving them all the tools they need to create and grow successful apps in gaming and other consumer-facing verticals like e-commerce. This is a step further toward realizing our vision of a fully integrated platform that helps creators in every step of their RT3D journey. We look forward to welcoming Tomer Bar-Zeev, the CEO of ironSource, and the rest of ironSource’s talented team into the Unity family,

said Riccitiello in a statement.

Part of the transaction will also involve Silver Lake and Sequoia, the two largest Unity shareholders, investing $1 billion in Unity in the form of convertible notes after the transaction closes.