Unity, a gaming startup and maker of software used to create 50% of all new mobile games, raises over $1.3 billion in IPO at $13.6 billion valuation

Last month, we wrote about Unity Technologies (Unity) after the gaming startup filed to go public. For the first time, Unity also revealed its financials after it filed its S-1 statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. As of 2018, Unity software is used to create more than 50% of all new mobile games.

Today, Unity finally made its public debut. Its stock surges as shares of Unity opened at $75 in Friday morning trading, up 44% from its initial-public-offering price of $52 a share. The initial public offering (IPO) price came above a raised expected range of $44 to $48 a share. Unity share later settled at $68.85 raising more than $1.3  at a $13.6 billion valuation.

The San Francisco-based Unity makes 3D gaming software and tools that enable developers to create games and other computer-generated entertainment, and its game engine runs thousands of console, mobile, and PC titles. As of 2018, Unity has been used to create 60 percent of augmented reality and virtual reality content.

Unity’s rival, Epic Games, is currently in a fight with Apple after the Fortnite game’s maker announced new payment options that allow players to buy in-game credits direct from Epic Games. Epic has since sued Apple in court. The ongoing saga with Apple could put Epic’s Unreal Engine in jeopardy and open more opportunities for Unity to increase its market share.

Unity was founded in Denmark in 2004 by David Helgason, Joachim Ante, and Nicholas Francis as Over the Edge Entertainment. The company later changed its name to Unity Technologies in 2007. Unity is the creator of the world’s leading real-time 3D development platform, giving users the most powerful and accessible tools to create, operate, and monetize experiences for the real-time world. The 16-year old gaming startup boasts business from game makers such as EA, Microsoft, and Zynga. Unity is based in San Francisco. It has 3,379 employees as of June 30. Backers include DFJ, Sequoia Capital, and Silver Lake Partners.

Unity’s technology software is by over 1.5M monthly active creators. In 2019 more than half of the top 1,000 games in the App Store and Google’s Play Store were built with Unity, the company said in Monday’s filing. In addition to offering the game engine for development, Unity derives revenue from service that can help companies monetize their content, including through advertising. Customers include BMW, EA, Microsoft, Niantic, Sony, Tencent, and Zynga.