Super League and Misfits are finalizing a deal intended to tighten up the offerings of both gaming media companies.
Today, March 18, Super League has announced its plans to acquire Misfits Gaming’s advertising business, including preferred rights to run branded games inside Misfits’ Roblox portfolio and its programmatic business, including Misfits’ talent relationships, key data partnerships and rewarded video ad tech product. Pending approval by Super League’s shareholders, the deal will see Super League pay Misfits $1.5 million in cash for its ads business, in addition to 19.99 percent of common shares in Super League.
“Misfits shareholders will be eligible to receive additional cash and equity consideration over the 24-month period following closing,” said Super League CEO Matt Edelman in a written interview with GamesBeat. “This structure ensures deep alignment between our teams to focus on the financial success of the business in support of Super League’s long-term stock performance.”
Following completion of the deal, a member of the Misfits Gaming board of directors will join Super League’s board. Additionally, members of Misfits’ sales team, including senior vice president of partnerships Justin Stefanovic, will join Super League.
After testing out different gaming-media-related products from a network of regional esports clubs to a digital tournament organizing platform, Super League has taken on more of an agency role in the gaming space in recent years, connecting brands and advertisers with inventory that often includes Super League’s portfolio of owned and managed Roblox games. Although Super League is not gaining direct ownership of Misfits’ Roblox games as part of the acquisition deal, purchasing another industry player’s ads business makes sense for a company on Super League’s trajectory.
“Misfits’ reach is anchored in its Roblox games portfolio, which reaches more than 100M monthly active users and extends through deep partnerships across the Minecraft ecosystem and leading gaming creators,” Edelman said. “What differentiates Misfits is its ability to translate those relationships into high-impact brand programs. Combined with Super League’s platform, distribution, and data capabilities, this creates a scaled commercial engine that enables brands and agencies to deliver more ambitious programs and stronger performance.”
For Misfits Gaming, offloading the company’s ads business is also a logical move. Like Super League, Misfits has also pivoted through several different business models over the years, from its origins as a competitive gaming team to more of a talent agency featuring gaming creators.
Over the past few years, Misfits has leaned hard into its game making business on platforms like Roblox, making the company’s sales team — which is headed to Super League as a result of the acquisition deal — increasingly distant from its core focus and competencies. By maintaining an equity stake in Super League, Misfits plans to stay connected to the advertising opportunity in games while concentrating its day-to-day operations on making good games.
“It’s a clear signal that we’re doubling down on games — specifically Roblox — as our core business. We’ve seen extraordinary growth there, and we believe the opportunity is still in early innings,” said Misfits Gaming CEO Ben Spoont in a written interview with GamesBeat. “Roblox has hundreds of millions of active users, and individual games on the platform can command valuations that most people outside the industry would find surprising. Our model — identify high-potential games, acquire ownership stakes, and scale them — is working, and we want to pursue it with full focus.”