Leading think tank entertainment company diversifies business with first-ever acquisition, takes rightful position atop murder mystery category, sets stage for successful 2024
NEW YORK, Feb. 22, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Relatable, the leading modern entertainment company creating games and products for all ages, today announced it has completed its first-ever acquisition, adding Hunt A Killer to its impressive, blue-chip list of brands that consumers love. Most known for creating the #1 best-selling card game What Do You Meme?, Relatable has evolved to one of the fastest-growing toy and game brands, holding more than 32 percent market share in the adult games category. With this acquisition, Relatable is now also the market leader in the murder mystery segment that reached an estimated $50 million in the U.S. in 2023 and has doubled in size since 2020.
Despite the toy industry’s eight percent sales decline in 2023 (according to a recent Circana report), Relatable – which rebranded from its flagship What Do You Meme? title last summer – has continued to expand and diversify its lineup of fun, social and relatable products suitable for all ages and interests, spanning adult party and drinking games, family-friendly games, outdoor / seasonal toys, plush, and health & wellness products.
“This is what we’re all about at Relatable. This announcement comes on the heels of other significant moves we’ve made over the last few months. From the renaming of the company to our recent hire of Karen Branson as CRO and newly introduced licensed products like Squishamallows Heating Pads, Relatable is better positioned than ever before and as our first acquisition, we couldn’t be more excited about what the future holds for Hunt A Killer and our company as a whole,” stated Elliot Tebele, co-founder of Relatable.
Hunt A Killer entered the market in 2016 to significant fan-fare and praise from the industry for its revolutionary gameplay and business model. At the time, the subscription model was in its early stages and ripe with opportunities. Since its launch, four million copies of Hunt A Killer have been purchased around the world.
“Hunt A Killer has built a large community of fans, becoming the market leader in the red hot murder mystery category. We see clear synergies and growth opportunities to continue serving HAK’s devoted fans and to take this brand to new heights,” added Ben Kaplan, co-founder of Relatable. “Relatable’s existing line of games and products are typically casual, fun, and easy to play. Hunt A Killer allows us to expand our footprint and cater to an entirely new demographic of players.”
Relatable will utilize its proven omni-channel marketing and global retail strategies to elevate the Hunt A Killer franchise, bringing the experience and joy of Hunt A Killer to more homes and apartments around the world in more accessible and mainstream methods.
“This is a white space in the games category that we’ve been interested in for quite some time, and we’re beyond excited to take on this opportunity to elevate the Hunt A Killer brand, grow the collection at big box retail, and focus on longer term opportunities for growth such as licensing to TV and film,” stated Elie Ballas, co-founder of Relatable.
Baird served as exclusive financial advisor to Relatable on this acquisition, with Rob Rosenfeld as the lead banker. To learn more about Relatable, visit www.relatable.com.
About Relatable
Relatable Co. is an authentically social, playfully creative, and thoughtfully simple think tank powered by makers and entertainers who create fun, social, and of course relatable games, toys, plush, health & wellness products, and more for all ages and interests. The company was originally named after its flagship game – What Do You Meme? – and rebranded in 2023 to reflect its impressive and wide variety of offerings across adult, family, drinking, relationship games, and more. Some of these include Buzzed and Let’s Get Deep, as well as viral hit lifestyle products like the Happy Helpers Menstruation Crustacean heating pads. Co-founded by Ben Kaplan, Elie Ballas, and Elliot Tebele in 2016, Relatable has become the fastest-growing toy and game company in the industry, with more than 30% market share in the adult party games space. Its signature game What Do You Meme? remains a worldwide best-seller. Products from Relatable are available at retailers such as Walmart, Target, Amazon and online at relatable.com. For more information, visit www.relatable.com and follow along on Instagram and Tiktok @whatdoyoumeme.
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SOURCE Relatable
