Voodoo, a French mobile app and game publisher, has acquired BeReal for €500 million. As part of the acquisition, BeReal co-founder and CEO Alexis Barreyat will leave the company after a transition period. Aymeric Roffé, CEO of Wizz, one of Voodoo's social media apps, will become CEO of BeReal.
BeReal, which has more than 40 million active users, has grown in popularity during the pandemic. Despite its early success, the company has struggled to grow its user base and was looking for a buyer after its funding dried up.
“BeReal has achieved incredible user loyalty and growth, proving there's a universal need for real, unfiltered experiences to share with close friends,” Voodoo co-founder and CEO Alexandre Yazdi said in a press release. “We're excited to bring the teams together and leverage Voodoo's know-how and differentiated technology to expand BeReal into an iconic social network for authenticity.”
Voodoo says the acquisition will give BeReal the opportunity to develop and release new features and refocus on growth through organic and paid marketing across markets. Voodoo plans to achieve this by leveraging its experience developing and growing mobile products, as it has done with Helix Jump, Mob Control, Block Jam 3D and Wizz.
BeReal was founded in 2019 with a mission to foster authentic, unedited connections in an age of photo-perfect Instagram posts and stories. On BeReal, users receive daily push notifications prompting them to post within two minutes. The platform has no “likes” or “followers,” creating a space to share real moments without the pressure to perform.
BeReal started with a simple premise, but the company has rolled out a number of additional features over the past year, including groups, mentions, multiple posts per day, pinned posts, and a “friends of friends” feed.
“Voodoo has a proven track record of driving significant growth in mobile apps,” Barreyat said in a press release. “Their resources and expertise will help put BeReal on a sustainable growth trajectory and continue delivering on our mission to create an authentic world where people can stay connected with the people who truly matter.”
Voodoo said BeReal is one of the most popular social networks in its three major markets: the United States, Japan and France. Half of users in those countries use the app at least six days a week, the company said.