Video game and app developer Voodoo acquires photo-sharing app BeReal, in a deal valuing BeReal at €500M; Voodoo's Aymeric Roffé will become BeReal's CEO
Financial Times
Context & Ripple Effects
BeReal’s rapid 2022 growth and roughly $600M fundraising valuation created pressure to establish a durable business model; the company had explored paid features as an alternative to advertising. The €500M sale moves that challenge under Voodoo’s ownership.
The transaction also formalizes a leadership handoff, with Aymeric Roffé taking charge of BeReal. Later coverage of BeReal’s US in-feed ad rollout shows the acquisition became a route toward commercializing the social app.
First-order effects
Voodoo takes ownership of BeReal at a €500M valuation and installs Aymeric Roffé as CEO, shifting control of product and operating decisions to the acquirer.
BeReal’s standalone effort to find revenue becomes part of Voodoo’s app portfolio and management structure.
Second-order effects
Voodoo can apply its app-development and distribution capabilities to BeReal’s monetization choices, while BeReal’s users and brand become inputs to Voodoo’s broader consumer-app business.
The deal gives rival social products another example of a fast-growing, engagement-led app becoming an acquisition target before its business model is fully settled.
Third-order effects
If consumer-app acquirers continue pairing social audiences with established app operators, growth-stage social products may increasingly be valued for their potential to be operationally monetized rather than solely for user growth.
The later move to in-feed advertising in the US suggests a broader convergence: social apps that initially differentiate themselves from conventional feeds can still face the same revenue-model pressures as they mature.
The trend: The deal is part of the broader shift toward established consumer-app operators acquiring youth-oriented social products and building monetization after scale is achieved.
Updated this story after a chat with Alexandre Yazdi, CEO of Voodoo, the company that acquired BeReal. He has big plans for the platform, including getting it to 100 million DAUs (4x where it is now) and getting in feed ads “ASAP.” BeReal has never had ads...
so the developer that made the ad-infested Donut Country ripoff (and other ad filled games) bought BeReal for $500 million .. that seems *really* high for an app that hasn't really ben relevant for two years? what am I missing?
I'm thrilled to announce that @BeReal_App is now part of @VoodooPlatform. @BeReal_App is the most successful social app launched in nearly a decade. They have created a unique behavior: sharing authentic content with true friends, and a visionary app, where every user is an [imag…
BeReal was acquired for €500M I want to know who BeReal's bankers are... seems like they did a great job of maximizing value. Download numbers over the last 2 years: [image]
Big news at BeReal today! We are excited to join the @VoodooPlatform team and keep building more ways for you to share authentic moments with the people you care about the most 🫶
Some real voodoo required (IMO) to get a $500M+ price for BeReal, an app that I haven't seen a single person use in more than a year. https://blog.voodoo.io/... [image]