All articles tagged with #acquisition
Former Bethesda VP Pete Hines, after 24 years at the studio, says Microsoft’s ownership has made Bethesda feel inauthentic and that he was powerless to run the place properly, a critique he voiced after his retirement and amid Starfield delays, Redfall fallout, and Bethesda’s shifting multiplatform strategy discussed during the FTC/Activision Blizzard case.
Rumors suggest Disney may pursue acquiring Epic Games, which would put Unreal Engine under Disney’s umbrella and could influence the engine’s pricing, licensing, and the broader gaming ecosystem. Disney already invested $1.5 billion in Epic, while Epic has faced layoffs and ongoing turnover. Developers are split: some fear a Disney takeover could constrain access or change profits-sharing, while others see potential benefits from Disney’s vast R&D, Imagineering know-how, and cross-media integration. Unreal Engine’s prominence—being widely used in games, film, and animation—means a Disney-owned path could significantly shift how the tool evolves and is priced for indie developers and larger studios alike.
Unilever announced an agreement to acquire Grüns, a leading US greens supplement brand founded in 2023, as part of a push to grow its premium Wellbeing portfolio in the US. Terms were not disclosed and the deal is expected to close later this year subject to regulatory approvals. Grüns, a digitally native brand with a strong retail and DTC footprint and a growing product line, will join Unilever’s Wellbeing business.
McCormick & Co. announced it will acquire Unilever's global seasoning business, expanding its spice-and-flavor portfolio and international reach. The deal, expected to close after regulatory approvals, will add established seasoning brands to McCormick’s lineup and strengthen its position in the growing flavors market.
McCormick will acquire Unilever’s Foods unit, including Hellmann’s mayo and Marmite, in a roughly $45 billion transaction funded with cash and equity. Unilever shareholders will own about 55.1% of the combined company, while Unilever itself will hold a 9.9% stake. The deal expands McCormick’s portfolio into spreads and condiments and adds Knorr products; Unilever will focus on faster-growing personal care and will exclude India's foods unit. The merger is expected to close by mid-2027 after regulatory and shareholder approvals, with McCormick keeping its Hunt Valley, MD HQ and adding a European HQ in the Netherlands, plus a secondary European listing. Shares fell on the news.
Uber will acquire Blacklane to expand into luxury and executive travel, leveraging Blacklane’s global chauffeur network in 500+ cities across 60+ countries and integrating with Uber Elite. The deal is expected to close by year-end 2026, pending regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions, and aims to accelerate Uber’s premium mobility strategy.
Uber Technologies said it will acquire Blacklane to broaden its high-end chauffeur offerings for executives and wealthy clients, a deal expected to close by the end of 2026 with undisclosed financial terms. Blacklane operates in 500+ cities across 60+ countries, and the purchase is poised to bolster Uber Elite, the company's premium chauffeur option, amid growing competition in luxury ride-hailing.
Sysco plans a large expansion into the higher-margin restaurant segment through a $29 billion deal, signaling a strategic shift to diversify beyond its core distribution business and pursue growth in the foodservice market.
Uber and Blacklane have agreed for Uber to acquire the Berlin-based premium chauffeur service, expanding Uber’s luxury and executive travel offerings globally. The deal awaits regulatory approvals and is expected to close by the end of 2026, accelerating the integration of Blacklane’s concierge-style chauffeur network with Uber’s platform and advancing Uber Elite.
Brown-Forman confirmed it is in talks with Pernod Ricard about a potential merger or acquisition, describing it as a merger of equals if agreed, with no guarantee a deal will close; shares rose over 20% on the news while Pernod’s stock dipped, and both companies face sales slumps in a volatile market.
Merck will acquire Terns Pharmaceuticals for about $6.7 billion in cash ($53 per share), expanding its cancer pipeline ahead of Keytruda’s 2028 patent expiry. Analysts see Terns’ leukemia drug candidate as a multibillion-dollar opportunity that could rival Scemblix, with the deal expected to close in the second quarter.
Amazon confirms it has acquired Fauna Robotics, a New York-based startup building approachable humanoid robots like Sprout; terms were not disclosed and Fauna’s ~50 employees will join Amazon in New York. The deal broadens Amazon’s robotics ambitions beyond warehouse automation toward consumer-facing personal robots, following recent acquisitions including Rivr.
Danone is set to acquire UK vegan meal-replacement maker Huel for roughly €1 billion, aiming to blend Huel’s protein shakes with its global reach to capitalize on the health-conscious, nutritionally complete meals trend and the growing impact of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs—subject to regulatory approvals.
Novartis today announced plans to acquire SNV4818 from Synnovation Therapeutics' Pikavation subsidiary for up to USD 3 billion (USD 2 billion upfront with up to USD 1 billion in milestones) to advance a pan-mutant‑selective PI3Kα inhibitor in HR+/HER2- breast cancer; SNV4818 is designed to target mutant PI3Kα (PIK3CA) while sparing wild-type PI3Kα to improve tolerability and enable combination with hormonal therapies, addressing an unmet need in roughly 40% of HR+/HER2- patients; closing is expected in the first half of 2026.
Nexstar Media Group has closed its acquisition of TEGNA Inc. after approvals from the FCC and DOJ, creating a larger local-media footprint intended to strengthen local journalism and programming with enhanced assets and capabilities.