M&A Deal Summary

Microsoft Acquires Rare

On September 24, 2002, Microsoft acquired software company Rare

Acquisition Highlights
  • This is Microsoft’s 33rd transaction in the Software sector.
  • This is Microsoft’s 3rd transaction in the United Kingdom.

M&A Deal Summary

Date 2002-09-24
Target Rare
Sector Software
Buyer(s) Microsoft
Deal Type Add-on Acquisition

Target

Rare

Warks, United Kingdom
Rare Ltd., one of the world's leading video game developers.

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Buyer(S) 1

Buyer

Microsoft

Redmond, Washington, United States

Category Company
Founded 1975
Sector Software
Employees228,000
Revenue 245.1B USD (2024)
DESCRIPTION
Entrance to Microsoft's corporate headquarters in Redmond, Washington.
Entrance to Microsoft's corporate headquarters in Redmond, Washington.

Microsoft is a global technology company that offers a broad spectrum of software products, services, and devices designed to help individuals and organizations across various sectors. Its extensive portfolio includes the Windows operating systems, the Microsoft Office suite for productivity, and the Azure cloud computing platform, providing solutions for computing, analytics, storage, and networking. Microsoft also delves into enterprise applications with Dynamics 365, connects professionals via LinkedIn, and engages gamers through its Xbox brand and related services. Additionally, it offers internet services such as Bing for web search, Outlook.com for email, and Skype for communication. Microsoft was formed in 1975 and is based in Redmond, Washington.


DEAL STATS #
Overall 47 of 213
Sector: Software M&A 33 of 113
Type: Add-on Acquisition M&A Deals 45 of 199
Country: United Kingdom M&A 3 of 14
Year: 2002 M&A 3 of 4
PREVIOUS DEAL
DATE TARGET DEAL TYPE VALUE
2002-09-10 XDegrees

Mountain View, California, United States

XDegrees Inc., a Mountain View, Calif.-based developer of software that allows users to send and receive information around a network instead of using a centralized server.

Buy -
FOLLOWING DEAL
DATE TARGET DEAL TYPE VALUE
2002-10-22 Vicinity

Sunnyvale, California, United States

Vicinity provides technology-based solutions that enable businesses and governments to market the local availability of their products and services.

Buy $96M