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Stillfront Group — Interim / Quarterly Report 2022
May 4, 2022
2969_10-q_2022-05-04_03dca90b-be8a-4b28-be51-9ca0300f3e54.pdf
Interim / Quarterly Report
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Interim Report, Q1 2022
QUOTE FROM THE CEO
"Stillfront had a strong start to 2022. In the first quarter, we grew our net revenues by 27 percent to 1,678 MSEK and our adjusted EBIT by 16 percent to 502 MSEK, resulting in an adjusted EBIT margin of 30 percent. Our free cash flow for the last twelve months amounted to 1,113 MSEK, growing by 37 percent compared to the same 12-month period last year, despite record-high investments in game development during the same period. Looking ahead, Stillfront is in a good position to continue its growth trajectory during the rest of the year and onwards. We have a clear path to return to organic growth and we are focusing all our resources to continue to launch and scale new games and grow our existing portfolio under the coming year. We reiterate our guidance of mid-single digit organic growth for the full-year 2022."
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS Q1
- Net revenue of 1,678 (1,319) MSEK, an increase of 27 percent
- Organic bookings declined by –6.4 percent, organic net revenues declined by -6.8 percent
- EBIT of 272 (253) MSEK, an increase of 8 percent
- Adj EBIT of 502 (432) MSEK, an increase of 16 percent. Adj EBIT margin of 30 (33) percent
- Items affecting comparability impacting EBIT amounted to -19 (-35) MSEK, mainly driven by costs related to the acquisition of 6waves. Amortization of PPA-items amounted to -211 (-144) MSEK
- EBITDA of 597 (463) MSEK, an increase of 29 percent
- Adj EBITDA of 616 (498) MSEK, an increase of 24 percent. Adj EBITDA margin of 37 (38) percent
- Net result of 144 (148) MSEK
- Net debt of 3,092 (3,119) MSEK and adjusted leverage ratio, pro forma of 1.2x (1.3x)
- Free cash flow last 12 months of 1,113 MSEK (810 MSEK)
- Cash position of 1,740 (1,225) MSEK and 2,458 (1,211) MSEK of undrawn credit facilities
KEY FIGURES
| 2022 | 2021 | Last 12 | 2021 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSEK | Jan-Mar | Jan-Mar | months | Jan-Dec |
| Bookings | 1,677 | 1,313 | 5,804 | 5,440 |
| Deferred revenue | 1 | 7 | 10 | 16 |
| Net revenue | 1,678 | 1,319 | 5,814 | 5,455 |
| EBIT | 272 | 253 | 1,053 | 1,034 |
| Adjusted EBIT | 502 | 432 | 1,872 | 1,802 |
| Adjusted EBIT margin, % | 30 | 33 | 32 | 33 |
| EBITDA | 597 | 463 | 2,155 | 2,020 |
| Adjusted EBITDA | 616 | 498 | 2,242 | 2,124 |
| Adjusted EBITDA margin, % | 37 | 38 | 39 | 39 |
| IAC | -19 | -35 | -87 | -104 |
| Profit before tax | 199 | 208 | 783 | 793 |
| Net result | 144 | 148 | 591 | 596 |
| Number of Employees | 1,560 | 1,250 | 1,560 | 1,381 |
| Adjusted Leverage Ratio, pro forma, x | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 1.6 |
Comments by the CEO
First, it is impossible to sum up the first quarter of 2022 without addressing the situation in Ukraine. I'm deeply saddened by the events that have unfolded over the past months and my thoughts are with the Ukrainian people. From a company perspective, our main priority has been to work closely with our small team at Game Labs to ensure the safety of our employees based in Ukraine. We are working closely together with the team and Stillfront will continue to do everything we can to assist those in need.
Stillfront has had a strong start to 2022. In the first quarter, we grew our net revenues by 27 percent to 1,678 MSEK and our adjusted EBIT by 16 percent to 502 MSEK, resulting in an adjusted EBIT margin of 30 percent. Our free cash flow for the last twelve months amounted to 1,113 MSEK, growing by 37 percent compared to the same 12 month period last year, despite record-high investments in game development during the same period.
Record-high investments in growth
We continued to invest heavily in growth in the first quarter and our investments in new games generated significant results, with four own-developed new games added to the active portfolio. In total, we included nine new games in the active portfolio during the first quarter, including the asset acquisition of Rise of Firstborn as well as four titles from 6waves, which was consolidated from February 1st. Our active portfolio now consists of 73 games across genres that are enjoyed by almost 69 million users every month. Our high investments in game development are expected to continue in 2022, with approx. 30 titles already in, or planned for, soft launch throughout the year.
User acquisition spend in Q1 amounted to 469 MSEK, representing 28 percent of our revenues, with return on ad spend being well within our 180-day payback target. Our ability to invest record-high amounts in user acquisition spend with consistent high returns shows that our games are scaling and that our Stillops platform works well and sets us up for continued growth during the rest of the year.
A key component in Stillfront's operating model is our marketing capabilities. Our ability to swiftly reallocate advertising spend to the top-performing titles across our broad portfolio creates an important competitive advantage as we can leverage our scale and reach to ensure that we maintain high investment levels without compromising on returns. In both Q4 and Q1, we have seen great example of this as we have been able to drive record spend with high ROI within our strategy games, while allocating less to other titles in the portfolio.
Organic development in Q1 in line with expectations
Organic bookings totalled approximately -6 percent in Q1, roughly in line with our development in Q4'21. Super Free was included as organic from February 1, which, as expected, had a significant negative effect on organic yearover-year growth in the quarter. As previously communicated, Super Free had a strong start in 2021, but then saw its bookings decline significantly as the studio
was unable to deploy marketing at sufficient scale. As a result, Super Free grew its bookings less than expected in 2021 but delivered strong EBITDA growth. Super Free is now back on a growth trajectory, growing bookings sequentially in Q1'22 from Q4'21 and we are happy with the progress the studio has made during the past months.

Good performance by acquired studios
Following the acquisition of 6waves, which was consolidated from February 1, we carried out a preferential rights issue during the quarter which raised proceeds of approximately SEK 2.0 billion. The net proceeds from the issue were used to repay the temporary increase in debt and strengthen the balance sheet following the acquisition. Despite difficult market conditions and high volatility, the rights issue was oversubscribed by 80 percent. We are pleased with the strong support shown from our shareholders, but we have also taken several learnings from this process. With the transaction behind us, we now have a solid balance sheet to deliver on our strategic plans and growth opportunities.
Our recently acquired studios continued to do well in the quarter. Both Jawaker and Moonfrog's titles continued their momentum from last year and showed strong growth in Q1, with Moonfrog included as organic from March 1. 6waves has showed stable performance during its first two months as part of Stillfront Group, delivering in line with our expectations, and the studio has a strong pipeline for the later part of 2022. Despite the short time the studio has been part of the group, 6waves is already involved in discussions with several other studios in Stillfront about potential game collaborations and we are very excited about the opportunities the studio will bring Stillfront in the coming years.
Important step in our sustainability efforts
Our mission to make a positive impact in people's everyday lives through games. We recently released our Sustainability report for 2021 where we, among other things, highlight how we have intensified our focus on sustainability by introducing long-term targets for all three pillars in our sustainability framework. Target setting is important to drive progress, and our work continues in 2022 to make sure we reach them.
Clear path to continued collaboration and growth
In late March, we arranged our first physical Stillcon (our internal conference for studio teams) in almost 2.5 years. During two hectic days at Dorado' offices in Malta, key people from almost all our studios met to discuss potential collaborations and share best practice on how we together can achieve further growth and scale as parts of Stillfront. As a business builder and entrepreneur, it is inspiring to see the amazing pool of talent that we have been able to bring together during the past 11 years and I cannot wait to see what this group can achieve in the years to come.
Looking ahead, Stillfront is in a good position to continue its growth trajectory during the rest of the year and onwards. We have a clear path to return to organic growth and we are focusing all our resources to continue to launch and scale new games and grow our existing portfolio under the coming year. We reiterate our guidance of mid-single digit organic growth for the full-year 2022.
JÖRGEN LARSSON, CEO, STILLFRONT GROUP
Stillfront at glance
A leading free-to-play powerhouse
Stillfront is a leading free-to-play powerhouse of gaming studios. Our diverse and exciting games portfolio has two common themes: loyal users and long lifecycle games. Organic growth and carefully selected and executed acquisitions embody our growth strategy and our 1,500+ co-workers thrive in an organization that engenders the spirit of entrepreneurship.
Stillfront is headquartered in Sweden, and the company is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm.
Focus on a digital and sustainable future
Stillfront's purpose is to make a positive impact in our gamers' everyday life, through creating a social, entertaining, and positive gaming experience. Our business model is built on our long-term perspective towards our studios, our professionals, and our gamers.
Stillfront builds for a digital and carbon-free future, and since 2019, we are a climate neutral company, fully compensating for the carbon impact in our daily operations and the energy usage of gamers playing our games.

73 games in active
portfolio in Q1
78% mobile share of bookings in Q1
ad share of bookings in Q1
17%
1,560 employees



Portfolio overview
Game performance
Bookings in the first quarter amounted to 1,677 MSEK, of which 1,597 in the active portfolio. The increase of 27 percent year-over-year in the active portfolio was driven by the addition of games from recently acquired studios as well as strong organic growth contributions from several existing games.
Bookings from other games amounted to 80 MSEK in the first quarter, up from 51 MSEK in the same quarter last year. The increase is mostly attributed to new game releases that have not yet been added to the active portfolio, as well as long-tail games from newly acquired studios.
Advertising bookings accounted for 17 percent of total bookings in the active portfolio in the first quarter, slightly down from the 19 percent in Q4'21 and up from 15 percent the same period last year. Excluding the recent addition of of 6waves' games, which are largely monetized through ingame purchases, advertising bookings was flat quarterover-quarter, and declined by -2 percent organically compared to the same period last year, driven by a decline in Casual & Mash-up.
Mobile share of bookings increased to 78 percent in the first quarter, up from 75 percent in Q4'21 and from 77 percent in the same period last year. The slight increase was driven by the addition of 6waves' games in the quarter. ARPDAU for the active portfolio increased by 14 percent quarter-over-quarter to 1.4 SEK, driven mainly by the addition of 6waves' titles in quarter. Compared to the same period last year, ARPDAU was down from 1.9 SEK. The year-over-year decrease in ARPDAU is primarily an effect of the changed game mix in the portfolio and the addition of Moonfrog Labs' titles for the full quarter, as the studio has a large user base with lower monetization.
User acquisition costs, UAC, in the active portfolio amounted to 465 MSEK in the first quarter, up from 376 MSEK in Q4'21 and from 359 MSEK the same period last year. The increase in UAC compared quarter-over-quarter is a result of normal seasonality effects paired with betterperforming marketing campaigns.
MAU, monthly active users, grew by 74 percent compared to the same period last year, driven by the new studios acquired over the past 12 months. Organically, MAUs grew by 7 percent quarter-over-quarter and 2 percent year-overyear, driven by increased marketing spending.
MPU, monthly paying users, grew by 29 percent year-overyear, also driven by new acquisitions. The discrepancy between the increase in MAU and MPU is mainly a result of the acquisitions of Super Free Games and Moonfrog Labs, as the two studios monetize their user bases through ad bookings to a larger extent than other studios in the group.
| 2022 Q1 | Active | Sim / RPG | Mashup / | Other games |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portfolio | Strategy | / Action | Casual | ||
| Bookings (MSEK) | 1,597 | 527 | 385 | 684 | 80 |
| Y-o-Y % | 27% | 50% | -7% | 38% | |
| Ad bookings, % | 17% | 1% | 7% | 34% | |
| Mobile bookings, % | 78% | 76% | 60% | 89% | |
| UAC (MSEK) | 465 | 166 | 106 | 193 | 4 |
| Y-o-Y % | 30% | 119% | -12% | 19% | |
| DAU ('000) | 13,132 | 795 | 1,462 | 10,875 | |
| Y-o-Y % | 76% | 53% | -11% | 105% | |
| MAU ('000) | 68,657 | 5,114 | 8,353 | 55,190 | |
| Y-o-Y % | 74% | 89% | -5% | 98% | |
| MPU ('000) | 1,499 | 181 | 277 | 1,041 | |
| Y-o-Y % | 29% | 54% | -19% | 49% | |
| ARPDAU (SEK) | 1.4 | 7.4 | 2.9 | 0.7 | |
| Y-o-Y % | -28% | -2% | 4% | -33% |
Product areas
Strategy
The strategy portfolio consists of classic war and so called 4X strategy games. In the first quarter, the strategy portfolio consisted of 21 games, up from 14 games in Q4'21. The new titles include four games from 6waves (Shishinogotoku, 3K SLG, Tenchinogotoku and AOTK JP), The Rise of Firstborn and two additional titles.
The strategy games amounted to 33 percent of the bookings in the active portfolio in the first quarter of 2022. Strategy bookings increased by 50 percent year-over-year, driven by the addition of the games from 6waves as well as strong organic growth. Organically, bookings from the strategy portfolio increased by 19 percent quarterover-quarter to 527 MSEK. The strategy titles built on Bytro Lab's grand strategy game engine, Supremacy 1914, Call of War and Conflict of Nations: WW3, continued their strong performance from 2021 into the new year, with Supremacy 1914 growing its bookings by more than 150 percent compared to the same period last year. Al General, a MENA version of Conflict of Nations: WW3, was successfully launched during the first quarter as a collaboration project between Stillfront's three studios Bytro Labs, Dorado Games and Babil Games.
User acquisition spend continued to increase in Strategy in the first quarter, primarily driven by the strong traction in Supremacy 1914 and Conflict of Nations: WW3. User acquisition spend in Strategy amounted to 166 MSEK, an increase of 119 percent compared to the same period last year and 76 percent compared to last quarter. As a result, daily and monthly active users were up year-over-year by 53 percent and 89 percent respectively. ARPDAU decreased by -2 percent in the quarter compared to the same period last year, where the increased inflow of new users lowered the average revenue per user, while the addition of 6waves' titles had the opposite effect.
Simulation, RPG & Action
Simulation, RPG & Action is a diversified portfolio of 29 game titles including simulation games such as Big Farm: Mobile Harvest and Hollywood Story, action games such as Battle Pirates, and RPGs such as Albion Online and Shakes & Fidget.
Simulation, RPG & Action totalled 24 percent of the bookings in the active portfolio in the first quarter, decreasing by -3 percent compared to last quarter and by -7 percent compared to the same period last year. The slight decline in the product area is a result of our strict user acquisition spend allocation, where more UA spend has been deployed within the Strategy portfolio in the first quarter as these titles have been able to show higher returns on ad spend. User acquisition spend in Simulation, RPG & Action was down by -18 percent quarter-over-quarter and -12 percent yearover-year. In March, Albion Online won the award for Best Mobile Game at the German Computer Game Awards, highlighting the impressive cross-platform product that the team at Sandbox has built and its popularity among players.
Casual & Mash-up
The Casual and Mash-up portfolio consists of 23 games, including titles like Property Brothers Home Design, BitLife, Word Collect, Trivia Star and Ludo Club. The product area totalled 43 percent of the bookings in the active portfolio in the first quarter, growing by 38 percent compared to the same period last year, driven primarily by the addition of games from recently acquired studios. The Casual & Mash-up portfolio grew by 7 percent quarter-over-quarter through a combination of FX effects and organic growth in the games.
As previously communicated, Super Free had a strong start in 2021, but then saw its bookings growth decline as the studio was unable to deploy marketing at sufficient scale. As a result, Super Free grew bookings less than expected in 2021 but delivered strong EBITDA growth. Super Free's strong start in 2021 had a negative impact on organic growth during the first quarter this year. Super Free is back on a growth trajectory since late October, growing bookings sequentially from Q4'21.
Jawaker and Moonfrog, both continued their strong performance during the first quarter of 2022. Moonfrog was included as organic in Stillfront's reporting from March 1, 2022.
Product areas as share of bookings in Q1 2022 in total active portfolio

Bookings in total active portfolio per product area

UAC in total active portfolio per product area

FINANCIAL OVERVIEW OF THE FIRST QUARTER
Revenue and operating profit
| 2022 | 2021 | Last 12 | 2021 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSEK | Jan-Mar Jan-Mar | Chg% | months | Jan-Dec | |
| Net Revenue | 1,678 | 1,319 | 27 | 5,814 | 5,455 |
| EBITDA | 597 | 463 | 29 | 2,155 | 2,020 |
| EBITDA margin, % | 36 | 35 | 37 | 37 | |
| EBIT | 272 | 253 | 7 | 1,053 | 1,034 |
| EBIT margin, % | 16 | 19 | 18 | 19 | |
| Items affecting comparability | -19 | -35 | -47 | -87 | -104 |
| Adjusted EBITDA | 616 | 498 | 24 | 2,242 | 2,124 |
| Adjusted EBITDA margin, % | 37 | 38 | 39 | 39 | |
| Amortization of PPA items | -211 | -144 | 47 | -732 | -665 |
| Adjusted EBIT | 502 | 432 | 16 | 1,872 | 1,802 |
| Adjusted EBIT margin, % | 30 | 33 | 32 | 33 |
Net revenue in the first quarter amounted to 1,678 (1,319) MSEK. The increase of 27 percent is driven by acquired studios (+27.3 percent year-on-year) and currency movements (+6.7 percent year-on-year), offset by negative organic growth (-6.8 percent year-on-year).
Stillfront experienced a positive impact from currency movements on net revenues in the first quarter, mainly driven by the strong USD compared to the SEK year-overyear. With the acquisition of 6waves, Stillfront's total currency profile changes somewhat as the studio generates a majority of its revenues in JPY. Currency rates in the quarter are outlined in the currency table on page 18 in this report.
| 2022 | 2021 | 2021 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Net revenue growth | Jan-Mar Jan-Mar | Jan-Dec | |
| Change through acquisitions, % | 27.3 | 90.4 | 48.5 |
| Change through currency movements, % | 6.7 | -8.9 | -3.9 |
| Organic growth, % | -6.8 | 9.5 | -7.8 |
| Total net revenue growth, % | 27.2 | 91.0 | 36.8 |
Stillfront had a gross margin of 78 percent in the quarter, compared to 76 percent in the same quarter last year. 6waves will be included for the full second quarter 2022, which is, as communicated in connection with the acquisition, expected to have a slightly negative impact on Stillfront's gross margins as the studio has higher platform fees than other studios in the group offset by a lower cost base for user acquisition.
Stillfront's personnel expenses as a percentage of net revenue amounted to 17 percent in the first quarter, compared to 15 percent in the same quarter last year and 17 percent in the fourth quarter of 2021.
EBITDA amounted to 597 (463) MSEK in the first quarter. Adjusted EBITDA amounted to 616 (498) MSEK, corresponding to an adjusted EBITDA margin of 37 (38) percent in the quarter.
EBIT amounted to 272 (253) MSEK in the first quarter. Adjusted EBIT amounted to 502 (432) MSEK, corresponding to an adjusted EBIT margin of 30 (33) percent. Items affecting comparability amounted to -19 (-35) MSEK in the quarter and consisted mainly of transaction costs for the acquisition of 6waves.
Net revenue development (MSEK)

Adj EBIT development (MSEK)

Product development
| 2022 | 2021 | Last 12 | 2021 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSEK | Jan-Mar Jan-Mar | months | Jan-Dec | |
| Capitalization of product development | 253 | 144 | 729 | 620 |
| Amortization of product development | -98 | -53 | -308 | -263 |
| Amortization of PPA items | -211 | -144 | -732 | -665 |
In the first quarter, investments in product development have been capitalized by 253 (144) MSEK. Investments include development of new games such as Winked, Trivia Puzzle Fortune and Al General, as well as other not yet announced games. Investments also pertain to other new titles built on existing engines as well as larger extensions and additions to existing games.
Amortization of product development of -98 (-53) MSEK was charged during the first quarter. Amortization of PPA items amounted to -211 (-144) MSEK, where the increase is driven by recent acquisitions.
Financial net
| 2022 | 2021 | Last 12 | 2021 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSEK | Jan-Mar Jan-Mar | months | Jan-Dec | |
| Net interest excluding interest on earnouts | -47 | -30 | -170 | -154 |
| Interest on earnout consideration (non-cash) | -29 | -23 | -92 | -87 |
| Currency exchange differences | 3 | 9 | -2 | 4 |
| Other | -0 | 0 | -1 | -0 |
| Changes in fair value of contingent consideration | 0 | 0 | -5 | -5 |
| Net financial items | -73 | -45 | -270 | -242 |
The financial net was -73 (-45) MSEK in the first quarter, consisting of net interest expenses -47 (-30) MSEK, non-cash interest charge on earnout consideration -29 (-23) MSEK and currency effects of 3 (9).
Tax
The group's tax expense amounted to -56 (-60) MSEK for the first quarter, equivalent to a tax rate of 28 (29) percent. Excluding the impact of non-deductible transaction costs, the tax rate for the quarter would have been 26 (26) percent.
Financing
| 2022 | 2021 | |
|---|---|---|
| MSEK | 31 Mar | 31 Mar |
| Net debt | 3,092 | 3,119 |
| Cash and cash equivalents | 1,740 | 1,225 |
| Interest Coverage Ratio, x | 13.0 | 14.4 |
| Adjusted Interest Coverage Ratio, pro forma, x | 14.8 | 17.6 |
| Adjusted Leverage Ratio, x | 1.4 | 1.6 |
| Adjusted Leverage Ratio, pro forma, x | 1.2 | 1.3 |
In the quarter, a directed issue of shares to the sellers of 6waves took place, in the amount of 147 MSEK. Furthermore, a preferential rights issue of 1,989 MSEK was completed, to finance the acquisition of 6waves and to increase financial flexibility. Through the issue, 117,014,379 shares were offered at a price of SEK 17.00 per share. The subscription period ended on March 16, 2022, and the issue was oversubscribed by 80.3 percent.
Net debt as of March 31, 2022, amounted to 3,092 MSEK as compared to 3,649 MSEK on December 31, 2021.
Adjusted interest coverage ratio, pro forma was 14.8 (17.6)x at the end of the quarter.
The adjusted leverage ratio, pro forma, was 1.2 (1.3)x. Stillfront has a financial target of 1.5x for the adjusted leverage ratio pro forma with the ability to exceed this target for shorter periods.
At the end of the quarter, Stillfront had unutilized credit facilities of 2,458 (1,211) MSEK, of which 2,258 (1,103) MSEK were long-term credit facilities. Cash balances amounted to 1,740 (1,225) MSEK.
The Group's financial assets and liabilities are in general measured at amortized cost, which is also a good approximation of their fair value. Bond loans with a carrying value of 3,093 (1,602) MSEK, however, have a fair value of 3,117 (1,660) MSEK. FX forwards and currency basis swaps with a carrying amount of -24 (-3) MSEK are measured at fair value through other comprehensive income. Contingent purchase considerations (earnout provisions) with a carrying amount of 4,028 (3,097) MSEK are measured at fair value through profit and loss.
| MSEK | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Provisions for earnouts | |||||||
| Cash | 763 | 779 | 574 | 443 | 198 | 97 | 2,854 |
| Equity | 298 | 348 | 242 | 163 | 81 | 42 | 1,174 |
| Total provisions for earnout | 1,062 | 1,127 | 816 | 606 | 279 | 139 | 4,028 |
The amounts stated above refer to provisions in the balance sheet, calculated as present values of nominal expected future payments, by year of expected settlement. As of the quarter-end, the Group had liabilities of 4,028 (3,097) MSEK for earnout provisions, of which 1,062 (930) MSEK current and 2,967 (2,167) MSEK noncurrent. The amounts will be settled during 2022 to 2027, where 2,854 MSEK of the current book value corresponds to amounts expected to be paid out in cash and 1,174 MSEK expected to be paid out in newly issued shares.
Cash flow
| 2022 | 2021 | Last 12 | 2021 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSEK | Jan-Mar Jan-Mar | months | Jan-Dec | |
| Cash flow from operations | 523 | 249 | 1,893 | 1,620 |
| Cash flow from investment activities | -1,870 | -1,475 | -4,570 | -4,176 |
| Cash flow from financing activities | 1,943 | 1,400 | 3,155 | 2,612 |
| Cash flow for the period | 595 | 174 | 478 | 56 |
| Cash and cash equivalents at the end of period | 1,740 | 1,225 | 1,740 | 1,133 |
The Group had cash flows from operations of 523 (249) MSEK in the first quarter. The amount includes taxes paid of -60 (-27) MSEK during the quarter and changes in working capital of 13 (-138) MSEK, primarily driven by timing effects of payments from platform providers offset by increased operating liabilities.
Cash flows from investment activities amounted to -1,870 (-1,475) MSEK, including investments in product development -255 (-144) MSEK, the payment for the 6waves acquisition -1,583 MSEK and acquisition of shares in subsidiaries from noncontrolling shareholders of -50 MSEK.
Cash flows from financing activities amounted to 1,943 (1,400) MSEK including net proceeds from share issuance of 1,957 MSEK and lease payments of -14 MSEK.
Free cash flow for the last twelve months amounted to 1,113 (810) MSEK. The cash conversion rate, defined as free cash flow for the last twelve months divided by EBITDA for the last twelve months, amounted to 0.52 (0.45).
SIGNIFICANT EVENTS IN THE QUARTER
Stillfront acquires 6waves
January 19, Stillfront announced that it had entered into an agreement to acquire 100 percent of the shares in 6waves. The upfront purchase price amounted to USD 201 million on a cash and debt free basis, of which approximately 8 percent was paid in 2,913,857 newly issued shares in Stillfront through a directed share issue to the sellers, and the remaining approx. 92 percent was paid in cash to the sellers. With the acquisition, Stillfront intends to establish a strong foothold in East Asia and significantly strengthen Stillfront's presence in the attractive Japanese gaming market. The closing of the transaction was announced on February 1, 2022, and 6waves was consolidated into Stillfront's consolidated financial reporting from that same date.
Stillfront releases trading update for Q4 2021
January 19, Stillfront announced an update regarding its business performance for the fourth quarter 2021. The purpose of the announcement was to provide the market and the shareholders with updated financial information in connection with Stillfront's acquisition of 6waves and the resolution on the rights issue of approximately SEK 2.0 billion, which was announced earlier the same day.
Stillfront holds an extraordinary general meeting and finalizes a rights issue of approximately SEK 2.0 billion
January 19, Stillfront announced that the board of directors had resolved on a rights issue with preferential rights for existing shareholders. The board of director's resolution was approved by an extraordinary general meeting on 23 February 2022. A maximum of 117,014,379 shares were offered in the rights issue at a subscription price of SEK 17.0 per share. The subscription period ended on 16 March 2022 and the rights issue was oversubscribed by 80.3 percent. The rights issue raised approximately SEK 2.0 billion for Stillfront before deduction of transaction costs. The net proceeds were used to repay the temporary increase in debt that the acquisition of 6waves entailed and to strengthen the balance sheet after the acquisition, and thereby increased Stillfront's financial flexibility in order to take advantage of future acquisition opportunities in line with Stillfront's growth strategy. As a result of the rights issue, Stillfront's total number of shares increased from 390,047,936 to 507,062,315 shares.
Marcus Jacobs proposed as new board member
February 18, Stillfront's nomination committee proposed that the Annual General Meeting 2022 elects Marcus Jacobs as a new board member, following Kai Wawrzinek having informed the Nomination Committee that he will not be available for re-election at the Annual General Meeting 2022. Marcus Jacobs brings extensive commercial and strategic experience from the gaming industry, in which he has been active for over 25 years. Marcus Jacobs has i.a. been part of the executive management of King for seven years, focusing on mobile games and F2P.
EVENTS AFTER THE REPORTING PERIOD
Stillfront publishes Annual & Sustainability Report for 2021
April 19, Stillfront published its Annual & Sustainability Report for the fiscal year 2021. The report summarizes Stillfront's business and strategy, financial performance, and work on sustainability. Stillfront's 2021 Annual and Sustainability Report is available on stillfront.com. The Swedish Annual Report is also available in European Single Electronic Format (ESEF).
For more information on events, please visit: https://www.stillfront.com/en/section/media/press-releases/
MARKET
The gaming industry as a whole is today the largest entertainment industry in the world with close to 3 billion gamers globally. In 2021, the gaming industry was expected to generate revenues of around USD 180.3 billion, a year-on-year increase by 1.4 percent, according to Newzoo. The games market will recover from the slower growth rate in 2021, according to Newzoo, and they expect the global market to grow with a CAGR of +8.7 percent between 2019 to 2024 and exceed USD 200 billion at the end of 2023.
Mobile gaming is the world's most popular form of gaming. Mobile games were expected to reach 2.6 billion players and generate revenues of USD 93.2 billion in 2021, representing more than half of the global games market in terms of revenues. The mobile games market was expected to grow by 7.3 percent year-on-year in 2021 and will continue to grow faster than the total games market up to 2024, according to Newzoo. According to Sensor Tower, consumer spending on mobile games fell 7.1 per cent year-over-year to USD 21 billion in Q1 2022. Sensor Tower expects mobile games consumer spending to grow by 14 percent year-over-year in 2022 and reach more than USD 100 billion for the full year.
Stillfront's games are predominantly within the Free-to-Play (F2P) segment. The F2P model has successfully been applied to the browser game market for years and it has now taken over the mobile segment as well. In the world's single largest market, Asia, and particularly in China, the model dominates, and it is gaining ground across all platforms globally.
People across all age demographics play games. The average age of a gamer in the US is 31 years of age, according to the Entertainment Software Association, ESA, and 80 percent of all gamers are above 18 years old. The number of female gamers has increased during the past years and represents 45 percent of the total population of gamers in the US.
Sources for market data:
Newzoo's Global Games Market Report 2021 Sensor Tower's Q1 2022 Data Digest Report Sensor Tower's Mobile App Market Outlook 2022 Essential Facts of the Video Game Industry 2021, by ESA
PARENT COMPANY
Customary group management functions and group wide services are provided via the parent company. The revenue for the parent company during the quarter was 32 (28) MSEK. The profit before tax amounted to -24 (-118) MSEK.
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
Other than customary transactions with related parties such as remuneration to key individuals, there have been no transactions with related parties.
THE SHARE AND SHAREHOLDERS
| # | Owners | No of shares | Capital/votes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Laureus Capital GmbH | 60,702,417 | 12.0% |
| 2 | Swedbank Robur Funds | 45,934,564 | 9.1% |
| 3 | SEB Funds | 26,663,698 | 5.3% |
| 4 | Columbia Threadneedle | 15,736,898 | 3.1% |
| 5 | Vanguard | 14,280,797 | 2.8% |
| 6 | First National Pension Fund | 13,715,000 | 2.7% |
| 7 | AMF Pension & Funds | 12,545,000 | 2.5% |
| 8 | DNB Funds | 9,139,013 | 1.8% |
| 9 | Handelsbanken Funds | 7,767,569 | 1.5% |
| 10 | Blackrock | 7,365,335 | 1.5% |
| 11 | Other Shareholders | 293,212,024 | 57.8% |
Source: Monitor by Modular Finance AB. Compiled and processed data from various sources, including Euroclear, Morningstar and the Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority (Finansinspektionen).
The total number of shares per March 31, 2022, was 507,062,315. This is the number of shares registered at the Companies' Registration Office at that date.
The share is traded on Nasdaq Stockholm. Closing price as of March 31, 2022, was 26.78 SEK/share.
Following bonds are traded on Nasdaq Stockholm:
2018/2022 bond: ISIN: SE0011897925 2019/2024 bond: ISIN: SE0012728830 2021/2025 bond: ISIN: SE0015961065
ACCOUNTING POLICIES
This interim report has been prepared in accordance with IAS34, Interim Financial Reporting. The consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with IFRS as adopted by the EU and the relevant references to Chapter 9 of the Swedish Annual Accounts Act. The parent company's financial statements are prepared in accordance with RFR2, Accounting for Legal Entities and the Swedish Annual Accounts Act. No material changes in accounting principles have taken place since the latest Annual Report.
The financial statements are presented in SEK, which is the functional currency of the Parent Company. All amounts, unless otherwise stated, are rounded to the nearest million (MSEK). Due to rounding, numbers presented throughout these consolidated financial statements may not add up precisely to the totals provided and percentages may not precisely reflect the absolute figures.
RISKS AND UNCERTAINTY FACTORS
As a global group with a wide geographic spread, Stillfront is exposed to several strategic, financial, market and operational risks. Attributable risks include for example risks relating to market conditions, regulatory risks, tax risks and risks attributable to public perception. Other strategic and financial risks are risks attributable to acquisitions, credit risks and funding risks. Operational risks are for example risks attributable to distribution channels, technical developments and intellectual property. The risks are described in more detail in the latest Annual Report. No significant risks are considered to have arisen besides those being described in the Annual Report.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Some statements herein are forward-looking that reflect Stillfront's current views or expectations of future financial and operational performance. Because these forward-looking statements involve both known and unknown risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from the information set forth in the forward-looking information. Such risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to general business, economic, competitive, technological and legal uncertainties and/or risks. Forward-looking statements in this report apply only at the time of announcement of the report and are subject to change without notice. Stillfront undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forwardlooking statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than as required by applicable law or stock market regulations.
SIGNATURE
Stockholm, 4 May 2022
Jörgen Larsson, CEO & Founder
The interim report for the first quarter has not been reviewed by the Company's auditors.
Financial reports
INCOME STATEMENT IN SUMMARY, GROUP
| 2022 | 2021 | Last 12 | 2021 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSEK | Jan-Mar | Jan-Mar | months | Jan-Dec |
| Revenues | ||||
| Bookings | 1,677 | 1,313 | 5,804 | 5,440 |
| Deferred revenue | 1 | 7 | 10 | 16 |
| Net revenue | 1,678 | 1,319 | 5,814 | 5,455 |
| Own work capitalized | 137 | 108 | 491 | 462 |
| Other revenue | 7 | 5 | 21 | 19 |
| Operating expenses | ||||
| Platform fees | -370 | -320 | -1,274 | -1,224 |
| User acquisition costs | -469 | -363 | -1,513 | -1,407 |
| Other external expenses | -89 | -57 | -326 | -294 |
| Personnel expenses | -277 | -194 | -972 | -888 |
| Items affecting comparability | -19 | -35 | -87 | -104 |
| Amortization of product development | -98 | -53 | -308 | -263 |
| Amortization of PPA items | -211 | -144 | -732 | -665 |
| Depreciation | -17 | -13 | -62 | -59 |
| Operating result (EBIT) | 272 | 253 | 1,053 | 1,034 |
| Result from financial items | ||||
| Net financial items | -73 | -45 | -270 | -242 |
| Profit before tax | 199 | 208 | 783 | 793 |
| Taxes for the period | -56 | -60 | -192 | -197 |
| Net result for the period | 144 | 148 | 591 | 596 |
| Other comprehensive income | ||||
| Items that later can be reversed in profit | ||||
| Foreign currency translation differences | 191 | 344 | 536 | 689 |
| Total comprehensive income for period | 334 | 492 | 1,127 | 1,285 |
| Net result for the period attributed to: | ||||
| Parent company shareholders | 145 | 146 | 589 | 590 |
| Non-controlling interest | -1 | 3 | 2 | 6 |
| Period total comprehensive income attributed to: | ||||
| Parent company shareholders | 336 | 489 | 1,125 | 1,278 |
| Non-controlling interest | -2 | 3 | 2 | 6 |
| Average number of shares | ||||
| Undiluted | 401,970,575 | 354,717,553 | 378,223,784 | 366,572,354 |
| Diluted | 401,970,575 | 357,192,553 | 378,302,212 | 367,143,219 |
| Net result per share attributable to the parent company's shareholders | ||||
| Undiluted, SEK/share | 0.36 | 0.41 | 1.56 | 1.61 |
| Diluted, SEK/share | 0.36 | 0.41 | 1.56 | 1.61 |
BALANCE SHEET IN SUMMARY, GROUP
| MSEK | 3/31/2022 | 3/31/2021 | 12/31/2021 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goodwill | 14,510 | 10,365 | 12,752 |
| Other non-current intangible assets | 6,348 | 3,883 | 5,244 |
| Tangible non-current assets | 131 | 132 | 127 |
| Deferred tax assets | 55 | 42 | 39 |
| Other non-current assets | 16 | 7 | 7 |
| Current receivables | 828 | 777 | 747 |
| Cash and cash equivalents | 1,740 | 1,225 | 1,133 |
| Total assets | 23,628 | 16,432 | 20,049 |
| Shareholders' equity | |||
| Shareholders' equity attributable to parent company's shareholding | 12,185 | 7,282 | 9,772 |
| Non-Controlling interest | 12 | 20 | 23 |
| Total Shareholders' equity | 12,197 | 7,302 | 9,795 |
| Non-current liabilities | |||
| Deferred tax liabilities | 1,208 | 868 | 1,053 |
| Bond loans | 2,496 | 1,602 | 2,494 |
| Liabilities to credit institutions | 1,492 | 2,647 | 1,456 |
| Other liabilities | 117 | 71 | 67 |
| Provisions for earnout | 2,967 | 2,167 | 2,298 |
| Total non-current liabilities | 8,278 | 7,355 | 7,368 |
| Current liabilities | |||
| Liabilities to credit institutions | - | 92 | - |
| Bond loans | 597 | - | 597 |
| Equity swap | 223 | - | 223 |
| Other liabilities | 1,271 | 752 | 1,035 |
| Provisions for earnout | 1,062 | 930 | 1,030 |
| Total current liabilities | 3,153 | 1,775 | 2,886 |
| Total Liabilities and Shareholders' equity | 23,628 | 16,432 | 20,049 |
SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY, GROUP
| Other | Equity | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other | equity incl | attributed to | Non | ||||
| Share | shareholders' | Other | profit of the | parent | controlling | Total | |
| MSEK | capital | contributions | Reserves | year | shareholders | interest | equity |
| Opening balance 2021-01-01 | 24 | 6,179 | -808 | 734 | 6,129 | 17 | 6,146 |
| Net result for the period | 146 | 146 | 3 | 148 | |||
| Foreign currency translation differences | 344 | 344 | 1 | 344 | |||
| Total comprehensive income | - | - | 344 | 146 | 489 | 3 | 492 |
| Total transactions with shareholders | 1 | 663 | - | - | 664 | - | 664 |
| Closing balance 2021-03-31 | 25 | 6,842 | -465 | 880 | 7,282 | 20 | 7,302 |
| Opening balance 2022-01-01 | 27 | 8,541 | -120 | 1,325 | 9,772 | 23 | 9,795 |
| Net Result for the period | 145 | 145 | -1 | 144 | |||
| Foreign currency translation differences | 191 | - | 191 | -0 | 191 | ||
| Total comprehensive income | - | - | 191 | 145 | 336 | -2 | 334 |
| Total transactions with shareholders | 8 | 2,121 | - | -53 | 2,077 | -10 | 2,067 |
| Closing balance 2022-03-31 | 35 | 10,662 | 71 | 1,417 | 12,185 | 12 | 12,197 |
CASH FLOW IN SUMMARY, GROUP
| 2022 | 2021 | Last 12 | 2021 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSEK | Jan-Mar | Jan-Mar | months | Jan-Dec |
| Operations | ||||
| Profit before tax | 199 | 208 | 783 | 793 |
| Adj for items not in cash flow etc | 370 | 206 | 1,208 | 1,043 |
| Tax paid | -60 | -27 | -254 | -221 |
| Cash flow from operations before changes in working capital | 510 | 387 | 1,738 | 1,615 |
| Changes in working capital | ||||
| Increase(-)/Decrease(+) in operating receivables | -15 | -126 | 108 | -2 |
| Increase (+)/Decrease(-) in operating liabilities | 28 | -12 | 47 | 7 |
| Cash flow from changes in working capital | 13 | -138 | 156 | 5 |
| Cash flow from operations | 523 | 249 | 1,893 | 1,620 |
| Investment activities | ||||
| Acquisition of business | -1,633 | -1,328 | -3,623 | -3,317 |
| Acquisition of tangible assets | -5 | -3 | -17 | -14 |
| Capitalization of product development | -255 | -144 | -732 | -621 |
| Acquistion of game assets | -1 | - | -224 | -223 |
| Net change in financial assets | 24 | -1 | 25 | -0 |
| Cash flow from investment activities | -1,870 | -1,475 | -4,570 | -4,176 |
| Financing activities | ||||
| Net change in borrowings | -0 | 1,412 | 192 | 1,604 |
| IFRS 16 lease repayment | -14 | -12 | -48 | -46 |
| Proceeds from share issuance | 1,989 | - | 3,063 | 1,074 |
| Issue cost | -32 | - | -52 | -20 |
| Cash flow from financing activities | 1,943 | 1,400 | 3,155 | 2,612 |
| Cash flow for the period | 595 | 174 | 478 | 56 |
| Cash and cash equivalents at start of period | 1,133 | 1,005 | 1,225 | 1,005 |
| Translation differences | 11 | 46 | 37 | 72 |
| Cash and cash equivalents at end of period | 1,740 | 1,225 | 1,740 | 1,133 |
PARENT COMPANY INCOME STATEMENT, SUMMARY
| 2022 | 2021 | Last 12 | 2021 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSEK | Jan-Mar | Jan-Mar | months | Jan-Dec |
| Revenue | ||||
| Net revenue | 32 | 28 | 141 | 136 |
| Operating expenses | ||||
| Other external expenses | -17 | -17 | -68 | -68 |
| Personnel expenses | -26 | -14 | -93 | -80 |
| Operating result | -12 | -3 | -20 | -11 |
| Result from financial items | ||||
| Net financial items | -12 | -115 | -268 | -371 |
| Result after financial items | -24 | -118 | -288 | -382 |
| Appropriations | ||||
| Group contribution | - | - | 95 | 95 |
| Profit before tax | -24 | -118 | -193 | -287 |
| Tax for the period | 26 | 21 | -1 | -7 |
| Net result for the period | 2 | -97 | -194 | -294 |
PARENT COMPANY BALANCE SHEET, SUMMARY
| MSEK | 3/31/2022 | 3/31/2021 | 12/31/2021 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intangible assets | 3 | 6 | 4 |
| Tangible non-current assets | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Financial non-current assets | 21,519 | 15,229 | 19,018 |
| Deferred tax | 32 | 21 | 5 |
| Current receivables | 157 | 116 | 190 |
| Cash and bank | 363 | 39 | 77 |
| Total assets | 22,076 | 15,412 | 19,294 |
| Shareholders' equity | 12,567 | 8,938 | 10,442 |
| Provisions for earnouts | 3,171 | 1,504 | 2,491 |
| Non-current liabilities | 6 | 142 | 3 |
| Bond loans | 3,093 | 1,602 | 3,092 |
| Liabilities to credit institutions | 1,492 | 2,739 | 1,456 |
| Equity swap | 223 | - | 223 |
| Other current liabilities | 1,524 | 487 | 1,588 |
| Total liabilities & Shareholders' equity | 22,076 | 15,412 | 19,294 |
KEY FIGURES, GROUP
| 2022 | 2021 | Last 12 | 2021 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSEK | Jan-Mar | Jan-Mar | months | Jan-Dec |
| Bookings | 1,677 | 1,313 | 5,804 | 5,440 |
| Deferred revenue | 1 | 7 | 10 | 16 |
| Net revenue | 1,678 | 1,319 | 5,814 | 5,455 |
| EBIT | 272 | 253 | 1,053 | 1,034 |
| EBIT margin, % | 16 | 19 | 18 | 19 |
| Adjusted EBIT | 502 | 432 | 1,872 | 1,802 |
| Adjusted EBIT margin, % | 30 | 33 | 32 | 33 |
| EBITDA | 597 | 463 | 2,155 | 2,020 |
| EBITDA margin, % | 36 | 35 | 37 | 37 |
| Adjusted EBITDA | 616 | 498 | 2,242 | 2,124 |
| Adjusted EBITDA margin, % | 37 | 38 | 39 | 39 |
| Profit before tax | 199 | 208 | 783 | 793 |
| Net result | 144 | 148 | 591 | 596 |
| Number of Employees | 1,560 | 1,250 | 1,560 | 1,381 |
| Adjusted Interest Coverage Ratio, pro forma, x | 14.8 | 17.6 | 14.8 | 15.5 |
| Adjusted Leverage Ratio, pro forma, x | 1.21 | 1.31 | 1.21 | 1.56 |
| Shareholders' equity per share undiluted, SEK | 24.03 | 20.38 | 24.03 | 25.24 |
| Shareholders' equity per share diluted, SEK | 24.03 | 20.23 | 24.03 | 25.24 |
| Earnings per share undiluted, SEK | 0.36 | 0.41 | 1.56 | 1.61 |
| Earnings per share diluted, SEK | 0.36 | 0.41 | 1.56 | 1.61 |
| No of shares end of period undiluted | 507,062,315 | 357,414,470 | 507,062,315 | 387,134,079 |
| No of shares end of period diluted | 507,062,315 | 359,889,470 | 507,062,315 | 387,134,079 |
| Average no of shares period undiluted | 401,970,575 | 354,717,553 | 378,223,784 | 366,572,354 |
| Average no of shares period diluted | 401,970,575 | 357,192,553 | 378,302,212 | 367,143,219 |
CURRENCY TABLE (MAIN CURRENCIES)
| Average | Average | Closing | Closing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2021 | 2022 | 2021 | |
| MSEK | Jan-Mar | Jan-Mar | Jan-Mar | Jan-Mar |
| 1 EUR=SEK | 10.4834 | 10.1176 | 10.3384 | 10.2376 |
| 1 USD=SEK | 9.3450 | 8.3995 | 9.2641 | 8.7239 |
| 100 JPY=SEK* | 8.0747 | 7.8835 | 7.6265 | 7.8821 |
The average rates are used for converting profit and loss items in foreign currency during each respective period to Swedish currency, SEK. The closing rates are used for converting assets and liabilities in foreign currency at the end of each period to Swedish currency, SEK.
* The rate for 100 JPY=SEK refers to the average rate during February-March, as 6waves was consolidated from 1 February 2022.
ACQUISITIONS
| MSEK | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Purchase price | Super Free | Moonfrog | Game Labs | Jawaker | 6waves |
| Cash and cash equivalents | 657 | 756 | 204 | 1,365 | 1,706 |
| New shares issued | 665 | - | 82 | 462 | 147 |
| Contingent consideration (earnout) | 383 | 207 | 77 | 1,183 | 593 |
| Total purchase consideration | 1,704 | 963 | 363 | 3,010 | 2,446 |
| The fair value of acquired assets and assumed liabilities (SEKm): | |||||
| Intangible non-current assets | 665 | 231 | 190 | 1,048 | 1,066 |
| Property, plant and equipment | 1 | 2 | - | 1 | 1 |
| Current receivables excl cash and bank | 105 | 29 | 4 | 11 | 108 |
| Cash and cash equivalents | 82 | 65 | 15 | 56 | 306 |
| Non-current liabilities | -0 | - | |||
| Deferred tax liabilities | -170 | -62 | -40 | -216 | -148 |
| Current liabilities | -140 | -59 | -6 | -15 | -396 |
| Total net assets acquired excluding goodwill | 544 | 205 | 163 | 886 | 937 |
| Goodwill | 1,160 | 758 | 200 | 2,125 | 1,510 |
| Total net assets acquired | 1,704 | 963 | 363 | 3,010 | 2,446 |
| Less | |||||
| Cash and cash equivalents | -82 | -65 | -15 | -56 | -306 |
| Ordinary shares issued | -665 | - | -82 | -462 | -147 |
| Provision for earnout | -383 | -207 | -77 | -1,183 | -593 |
| Net cash outflow on acquisition of business | 575 | 691 | 189 | 1,309 | 1,400 |
| Percentage of shares and votes acquired (%) | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Transaction costs | 22 | 23 | 13 | 16 | 29 |
| Consolidated since | 1 Feb 2021 | 1 Mar 2021 | 1 May 2021 | 3 Oct 2021 | 1 Feb 2022 |
| Net revenues for the year, before being consolidated | 91 | 41 | 15 | 199 | 67 |
| Adjusted EBITDA for the year, before being consolidated | -3 | 15 | 6 | 148 | 18 |
The acquisitions in 2021 of Super Free Games, Moonfrog Labs, Game Labs and Jawaker, and their preliminary purchase price allocations are described in the Annual Report 2021. The purchase price allocation for Super Free Games and Moonfrog Labs have been finalized.
On January 19, 2022, Stillfront announced it had entered into an agreement to acquire up to 100 percent of the shares and votes in Six Waves Inc., a leading publisher of mobile free-to-play strategy games in Japan, for a total upfront consideration of USD 201 million on a cash and debt free basis. The sellers of 6waves were the founders, employees, and investors. Of the upfront consideration, approx. 92 percent was payable in cash, and approx. 8 percent was payable in a total of 2,913,857 newly issued shares in Stillfront. 6waves was consolidated into Stillfront's consolidated financial reporting from February 1, 2022. The acquired company had tax liabilities of 101 MSEK referring to previous years, expected to be settled in 2022, which are fully reflected in the purchase price.
The preliminary purchase price allocation analyses of Game Labs, Jawaker and 6waves are provided above. The purchase price allocations are based on assumptions regarding fair values of intangible assets and earnouts among other things, which may be adjusted during the twelve-months period following the acquisition. Goodwill recognized in the acquisitions pertains to the value of the skills within the companies in terms of their capability to develop and publish new games and new versions of existing games. The preliminary purchase price allocation analysis of Moonfrog Labs has been finalized since the last published quarterly report.
DEFINITIONS
Key figures and alternative performance measures
ARPDAU
Average revenue per daily active user. Calculated as Bookings in the quarter divided by days in the quarter divided by average daily active users in the quarter.
Bookings
Revenue before changes in deferred revenue, including deposits from paying users, in-game advertising revenue and other game-related revenue.
Cash conversion ratio
Free cash flow for the last twelve months divided by EBITDA for the last twelve months.
DAU
Average daily active users. Calculated as the average daily active users each month of the quarter, divided by months in the quarter.
EBITDA
Operating profit before depreciation and amortization. Adjusted EBITDA is EBITDA adjusted for items affecting comparability.
EBITDA margin
EBITDA as a percentage of Net revenue. Adjusted EBITDA margin is EBITDA margin adjusted for items affecting comparability.
EBIT
Profit before financial items and tax. Adjusted EBIT is EBIT excluding items affecting comparability and amortization of PPA, purchase price allocation-items
EBIT margin
EBIT as a percentage of Net revenue. Adjusted EBIT margin is EBIT margin excluding items affecting comparability and amortization of PPA, purchase price allocation-items.
Free cash flow
Cash flow from operations minus acquisitions of intangible assets and repayment of lease liabilities.
Gross profit margin
Gross profit as a percentage of Net revenue, where Gross profit is defined as Net revenue minus Platform fees.
IAC, Items affecting comparability
Significant income statement items that are not included in the Group's normal recurring operations and which distort the comparison between the periods.
Interest Coverage Ratio
Adjusted EBITDA Pro forma divided by net financial items excluding revaluation of provision for earnouts and interest on earnout consideration for the past twelve months.
Adjusted Leverage ratio
Net interest-bearing debt excluding earnout payments in relation to the last twelve months Adjusted EBITDA Pro forma.
MAU
Average monthly active users. Calculated as monthly active users each month of the quarter, divided by months in the quarter.
MPU
Average monthly paying users. Calculated as monthly paying users each month of the quarter, divided by months in the quarter.
Net Debt
Interest bearing liabilities, including the book value of equity swaps and currency derivatives, minus cash and cash equivalents. Provisions for earnouts are not considered interest bearing in this context.
Organic growth
Change in consolidated net revenues, excluding the translation impact of changed currency exchange rates and acquisitions. Net revenues in acquired operations are considered as acquired growth during twelve months from the acquisition date.
Shareholders' equity/share
Shareholders' equity attributable to the parent company shareholders divided by the number of shares at the end of the period.
UAC
User acquisition cost.
The purpose of each key figure and alternative performance measure is described in the latest Annual Report.
RECONCILIATION OF ALTERNATIVE PERFORMANCE MEASURES
Items Affecting Comparability, IAC
| 2022 | 2021 | Last 12 | 2021 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSEK | Jan-Mar | Jan-Mar | months | Jan-Dec |
| Items affecting comparability, IAC | ||||
| Revenue | ||||
| Other | - | - | 7 | 7 |
| Total IAC Revenues affecting EBIT | - | - | 7 | 7 |
| Costs | ||||
| Transaction costs | -13 | -23 | -63 | -74 |
| Long term incentive programs | -6 | -1 | -16 | -10 |
| Other costs | - | -11 | -15 | -26 |
| Total IAC in operating profit (EBIT) | -19 | -35 | -87 | -104 |
| Financial income | ||||
| Revaluation of earnouts | - | - | - | - |
| Total IAC financial income | - | - | - | - |
| Financial costs | ||||
| Revaluation of earnouts | - | 0 | -5 | -5 |
| Total IAC financial costs | - | 0 | -5 | -5 |
| Total IAC in net financial items | - | 0 | -5 | -5 |
APM
| 2022 | 2021 | Last 12 | Jan-Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSEK | Jan-Mar | Jan-Mar | months | 2021 |
| Net revenue | 1,678 | 1,319 | 5,814 | 5,455 |
| Platform fees | -370 | -320 | -1,274 | -1,224 |
| Gross profit | 1,308 | 999 | 4,540 | 4,232 |
| Gross profit margin, % | 78 | 76 | 78 | 78 |
| EBITDA and EBIT | ||||
| Operating profit (EBIT) | 272 | 253 | 1,053 | 1,034 |
| Amortization of PPA items | 211 | 144 | 732 | 665 |
| Other amortization and depreciation | 114 | 66 | 370 | 321 |
| EBITDA | 597 | 463 | 2,155 | 2,020 |
| Adjusted EBITDA and EBIT | ||||
| Operating profit (EBIT) | 272 | 253 | 1,053 | 1,034 |
| Items affecting comparability | 19 | 35 | 87 | 104 |
| Amortization of PPA items | 211 | 144 | 732 | 665 |
| Adjusted Operating profit (EBIT) | 502 | 432 | 1,872 | 1,802 |
| Other amortization and depreciation | 114 | 66 | 370 | 321 |
| Adjusted EBITDA | 616 | 498 | 2,242 | 2,124 |
| In relation to net revenue | ||||
| EBITDA margin, % | 36 | 35 | 37 | 37 |
| Adjusted EBITDA margin, % | 37 | 38 | 39 | 39 |
| Operating profit (EBIT) margin, % | 16 | 19 | 18 | 19 |
| Adjusted operating profit (EBIT) margin, % | 30 | 33 | 32 | 33 |
| 2022 | 2021 | Last 12 | Jan-Dec | |
| MSEK Adjusted interest coverage ratio |
Jan-Mar | Jan-Mar | months | 2021 |
| Adjusted EBITDA last 12 months | 2,242 | 1,941 | 2,242 | 2,124 |
| Divided by | ||||
| Net financial items last 12 months | 270 | 234 | 270 | 242 |
| Total IAC affecting financial items last 12 months | -5 | -30 | -5 | -5 |
| Interest on earn-out consideration affecting financial items | -92 | -69 | -92 | -87 |
| Adjusted interest coverage ratio, x | 13.0 | 14.4 | 13.0 | 14.1 |
| Adjusted leverage ratio | ||||
| Bond loans | 3,093 | 1,602 | 3,093 | 3,092 |
| Liabilities to credit institutions | 1,492 | 2,739 | 1,492 | 1,456 |
| Equity swap | 223 | - | 223 | 223 |
| Currency derivatives | 24 | 3 | 24 | 11 |
| Cash and cash equivalents | -1,740 | -1,225 | -1,740 | -1,133 |
| Total net debt | 3,092 | 3,119 | 3,092 | 3,649 |
| Divided by | ||||
| Adjusted EBITDA last 12 months | 2,242 | 1,941 | 2,242 | 2,124 |
| Adjusted leverage ratio | 1.38 | 1.61 | 1.38 | 1.72 |
| Cash conversion last 12 months | ||||
| Cash flow from operations last 12 months | 1,893 | 1,338 | 1,893 | 1,620 |
| IFRS 16 lease repayment last 12 months | -48 | -39 | -48 | -46 |
| Acquisition of intangible assets last 12 months | -732 | -489 | -732 | -621 |
| Free cash flow last 12 months | 1,113 | 810 | 1,113 | 953 |
| Divided by | ||||
| EBITDA last 12 months | 2,155 | 1,811 | 2,155 | 2,020 |
APM Pro Forma
| 2022 | 2021 | |
|---|---|---|
| MSEK | Jan-Mar | Jan-Mar |
| Adjusted EBITDA, pro forma | ||
| Adjusted EBITDA last 12 months | 2,242 | 1,941 |
| Including | ||
| EBITDA, Acquired companies | 323 | 434 |
| Adjusted EBITDA, pro forma | 2,564 | 2,375 |
| Adjusted interest coverage ratio, pro forma | ||
| Adjusted EBITDA last 12 months, pro forma | 2,564 | 2,375 |
| Divided by | ||
| Net financial items last 12 months | 270 | 234 |
| Total IAC affecting financial items last 12 months | -5 | -30 |
| Interest on earn-out consideration affecting financial items | -92 | -69 |
| Adjusted interest coverage ratio, x, pro forma | 14.8 | 17.6 |
| Adjusted leverage ratio, pro forma | ||
| Bond loans | 3,093 | 1,602 |
| Liabilities to credit institutions | 1,492 | 2,739 |
| Equity swap | 223 | - |
| Currency derivatives | 24 | 3 |
| Cash and cash equivalents | -1,740 | -1,225 |
| Net debt | 3,092 | 3,119 |
| Divided by | ||
| Adjusted EBITDA, pro forma | 2,564 | 2,375 |
| Adjusted leverage ratio, pro forma | 1.21 | 1.31 |
Share data
| 2022 | 2021 | Last 12 | Jan-Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan-Mar | Jan-Mar | months | 2021 | |
| Equity per share | ||||
| Shareholders' equity attributable to parent co's shareholders, MSEK | 12,185 | 7,282 | 12,185 | 9,772 |
| Divided by | ||||
| No of shares end of period undiluted | 507,062,315 | 357,414,470 | 507,062,315 | 387,134,079 |
| Shareholders' equity per share undiluted, SEK | 24.03 | 20.38 | 24.03 | 25.24 |
| No of shares end of period diluted | 507,062,315 359,889,470 | 507,062,315 | 387,134,079 | |
| Shareholders' equity per share diluted, SEK | 24.03 | 20.23 | 24.03 | 25.24 |
| Earnings per share | ||||
| Net result for the period attributed to parent co's shareholders, MSEK | 145 | 146 | 589 | 590 |
| Divided by | ||||
| Average no of shares period undiluted | 401,970,575 | 354,717,553 | 378,223,784 | 366,572,354 |
| Earnings per share undiluted, SEK | 0.36 | 0.41 | 1.56 | 1.61 |
| Average no of shares period diluted | 401,970,575 | 357,192,553 | 378,302,212 | 367,143,219 |
| Earnings per share diluted, SEK | 0.36 | 0.41 | 1.56 | 1.61 |
Financial calendar
Annual General Meeting 12 May 2022 Interim report April - June 2022 21 July 2022 Interim report July - September 2022 26 October 2022 Year-end report 2022 15 February 2023
This information is information that Stillfront Group AB (publ) is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact person set out below, on May 4, 2022, at 07.00 CEST.
For further information, please contact:
Tel: +46 70 3211800, [email protected] Tel: +46 70 0807846, [email protected]
Jörgen Larsson, CEO Andreas Uddman, CFO
About Stillfront
Stillfront is a free-to-play powerhouse of gaming studios. Our diverse and exciting games portfolio has two common themes; loyal users and long lifecycle games. Organic growth and carefully selected and executed acquisitions embody our growth strategy and our 1,500+ co-workers thrive in an organization that engenders the spirit of entrepreneurship. Our main markets are the US, Japan, MENA, Germany and UK. We are headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden and the company, is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm. For further information, please visit: www.stillfront.com
