HP buys HyperX for $425 million

HP is not a brand name that comes to mind when you think about gaming, but perhaps this will change in the near future as the company just made a surprising move by acquiring HyperX. Founded as the gaming brand of memory maker Kingston, HyperX is now a household name in the eSports industry. The firm manufactures a wide range of peripherals, including mice, keyboards, and headsets.

Kingston sells its gaming division to HP in a deal worth $425 million. The deal is expected to close in Q2 2021. Via this deal, HP taps into the fast-growing gaming market. Kingston is only selling its range of gaming peripherals, the firm will continue to market DRAM, flash, and SSD products under the HyperX brand.

HP Inc. today announced a definitive agreement to acquire HyperX, the gaming division of Kingston Technology Company. The acquisition supports HP’s strategy to drive growth in its Personal Systems business, where gaming and peripherals are attractive segments. HyperX’s award-winning product portfolio spans a range of gaming peripherals, including headsets, keyboards, mice, mouse pads, USB microphones, and console accessories.

“HyperX is a leader in peripherals whose technology is trusted by gamers around the world and we’re thrilled to welcome their outstanding team to the HP family,” said Enrique Lores, President and CEO, HP Inc. “We continue to advance our leadership in Personal Systems by modernizing compute experiences and expanding into valuable adjacencies. We see significant opportunities in the large and growing peripherals market, and the addition of HyperX to our portfolio will drive new sources of innovation and growth for our business.”

PC gaming continues to be one of the most popular forms of video gaming, with the PC hardware industry anticipated to be worth $70 billion by 2023. The global peripherals market is expected to grow to $12.2 billion by 2024, with gaming peripherals representing a disproportionate share of this growth.

“HyperX products are designed to meet the most rigorous demands of all gamers – from casual to the most hardcore – giving them a winning edge and helping them stay on top of their game,” said John Tu, Co-founder and CEO, Kingston. “Both of our companies thrive because we focus on our employees and share the same core values and culture. David Sun (Co-founder and COO) and I saw the possibilities for the HyperX business and its employees and we both realized that this change brings a brighter future for HyperX.”

HP has built a large and growing global gaming portfolio in recent years, led by its OMEN brand and a world-class ecosystem of hardware, software, content, and services. The company continues to push progression in gaming with powerful devices like the OMEN 15 gaming laptop and the HP Pavilion Gaming 16 laptop. Beyond devices, HP is driving software innovation with OMEN Gaming Hub, a destination for players to connect, customize, and explore their gear and games. Adding HyperX to HP’s broader gaming ecosystem will deliver innovative new experiences across everything gamers see, hear, and touch.

Under the terms of the agreement, HP will pay $425 million, subject to customary working capital and other adjustments, to acquire HyperX’s gaming peripherals portfolio. Kingston will retain the DRAM, flash, and SSD products for gamers and enthusiasts. The acquisition is expected to be accretive on a non-GAAP basis to HP in the first full year following closing. The transaction is expected to close in calendar Q2 2021, pending regulatory review and other customary closing conditions. - HP