Kirkland Advises EQT on Financing for Acquisition of Keywords Studios Plc

Kirkland & Ellis is advising EQT Partners Asia Pte. Limited on the debt financing and hedging for Houting UK Limited’s recommended cash acquisition of the entire issued and to be issued ordinary share capital of Keywords Studios Plc, a London-listed global provider of fully integrated creative and technology-enabled solutions to the video games and entertainment industries. The acquisition values the entire issued and to be issued ordinary share capital of Keywords Studios Plc at approximately £2.1 billion on a fully diluted basis, and implies an enterprise value of approximately £2.2 billion. The deal represents a first-of-a-kind transaction where an Asian bank financing is being arranged in support of a major PE sponsor led UK public-to-private acquisition.  

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The Kirkland team is led by debt finance partners Manas Chandrashekar and Brandon Ovington, with support from debt finance associate Daniel Sharif. The team also included debt finance partner Kirsteen Nicol and associate Adrian Kilercioglu; tax partners Mavnick Nerwal, Siv Devakumar and Art Ward and associate Alexander Kanishchev; and derivatives partner Drue Santora.