13 December 2022

Keywords Studios plc ("Keywords Studios", "Keywords", the "Group")

 Acquisition of Laboratorio Comunicazione S.r.l. ("Labcom")

LabCom will strengthen Keywords' marketing capabilities and reach in PR and communications services in Europe

Keywords Studios, the international technical and creative services provider to the global video games industry, today announces it has acquired LabCom, an integrated PR and communications agency based in Milan, Italy.

Founded in 2005 by Marco Giannatiempo, LabCom's talented team of 16 professionals delivers integrated communication services, including PR and digital communications advice, social media management, data-driven influencer campaigns and brand partnerships. Marco Giannatiempo will continue to lead the agency under Keywords' ownership.

LabCom focuses predominantly on the video game sector in Italy and its clients include some of the largest brands and titles in the industry, including Riot Games, Konami and Bethesda. LabCom will join Keywords' marketing businesses in the Engage service line, complementing Indigo Pearl, the Group's full service PR agency based in London, England.

Under the terms of the transaction, Keywords paid initial cash consideration of €1.0m and will issue up to 12,412 new ordinary shares as consideration three years following the acquisition date provided certain conditions are met. The new ordinary shares to be issued will be subject to orderly market provisions for a year. 

Bertrand Bodson, CEO of Keywords Studios commented:

"We are delighted to welcome Marco and the LabCom team to Keywords. Having worked closely with Labcom we are very impressed by the quality of the team and the excellent service they provide to household names in the video game and wider entertainment sector in Italy and beyond. This transaction broadens our reach in PR and communications services, and supports our strategy of building out a complete marketing offering for our clients. We are really looking forward to working with LabCom and supporting its growth as part of the Group"

Marco Giannatiempo of LabCom, commented:

"LabCom has always aimed to deliver constant growth over time and to broaden our customer service offering to further support our customers, enabling them to take advantage of new opportunities to promote their products. We are very excited by this important agreement and believe it will allow us to achieve excellent results in the coming years in Europe and beyond".

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About Keywords Studios (www.keywordsstudios.com)

Keywords Studios is an international technical and creative services provider to the global video games industry. Established in 1998, and now with over 70 facilities in 26 countries strategically located in Asia, Australia, the Americas, and Europe, it provides services across the entire content development life cycle through its Create, Globalise and Engage service lines to a blue-chip client base of over 950 clients across the globe.

Keywords Studios has a strong market position, providing services to 23 of the top 25 most prominent games companies. Across the games and entertainment industry, clients include Activision Blizzard, Bandai Namco, Bethesda, Electronic Arts, Epic Games, Konami, Microsoft, Netflix, Riot Games, Square Enix, Supercell, TakeTwo, Tencent and Ubisoft. Recent titles worked on include Anthem, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Valorant, League of Legends, Fortnite, Clash Royale and Doom Eternal. Keywords Studios is listed on AIM, the London Stock Exchange regulated market (KWS.L).

About LabCom (www.labcompr.com)

Established in 2006 in Milan, Italy, LabCom is an integrated communication agency that specialises in public relations, social media and influencer led campaign advice for video game, sporting and other entertainment businesses.