Tech company known for repetitive ads on YouTube purchases BeReal for $500M

Voodoo, a mobile applications and games publisher known for its repetitive advertisements on YouTube and Instagram, has acquired the social media app BeReal for $500 million.

The French independent mobile game and app company, boasting over seven billion downloads worldwide and 150 million active users, has purchased BeReal, the “GenZ social network dedicated to authenticity.”

BeReal was founded in 2019 and gained popularity in 2022 for capturing live, unfiltered, and unedited moments. The app has over 40 million users and is extremely popular in the US, Japan, and France.

Voodoo’s acquisition of BeReal has come at a time when the company seeks to “further accelerate its diversification into consumer apps.” Voodoo states that this purchase should strengthen its global position while promoting BeReal’s growth.

“Together, Voodoo and BeReal will be ideally positioned to deliver on BeReal’s potential and unlock synergies afforded by the platform’s significant global user base. Voodoo intends to further invest in BeReal while providing its expertise in product strategy, growth, and infrastructure,” Voodoo said.

Supposedly, at an inflection point in its development, BeReal will be granted the opportunity to explore new innovations and features. Voodoo claims that its platform and expertise will help drive the app forward.

“Voodoo has a proven track record of driving significant growth in mobile apps. Their resources and expertise will help bring BeReal on a sustainable growth path while continuing to deliver on its mission to create an authentic world that keeps you connected with the people you care about,” said Alexis Barreyat, CEO and founder of BeReal.

Voodoo apparently has decades of experience creating what it calls “iconic mobile products” like Helix Jump, Mob Control, Block Jam 3D, and its own social media app, Wizz.

Aymeric Roffé, CEO of Wizz, will take responsibility for BeReal and lead the product. BeReal’s former CEO, Alexis Barreyat, will continue his involvement with the app to ensure smooth integration.

“We are very excited to bring our teams together and leverage Voodoo’s know-how and differentiated technologies to scale BeReal into the iconic social network for authenticity,” Voodoo’s CEO and co-founder Alexandre Yazdi said.