Leading virtual data room provider ansarada launched Version 3.0 of its highly popular M&A Game. The new upgrade takes the game in a new more personalised direction with the addition of a multi-player mode where players can invite and challenge colleagues, friends and rivals.

This comes right before the holiday season, where more than 80 percent of UK M&A deal makers have said that they will continue to close deals during their breaks.

The M&A Game allows players to create a personal avatar, choose a name for their corporation, then go to work building an empire – buying, selling and merging their way to corporate domination or catastrophe across different industry sectors.

Players negotiate using a range of tactics and have to deal with corporate issues such as wage rises, market crashes and even falling satellites.

The hugely successful game now boasts more than 38,000 players from countries all around the world.

ansarada CEO, Sam Riley, said: “The response we’ve had to the M&A Game since we launched has been phenomenal. We have been blown away by the numbers of people around the world who have become big fans of the game.”

New Phase 3 features include:

• Multi-Player mode allows players to set up invitation-only private or open public games over a time duration of one day, three days or one week. Players can compete on a range of objectives including Highest Net Worth, Most 5 Star Deals and Most Companies.

• A more streamlined company selling process for faster, more focused play.

Since it was launched in January 2014, M&A Game players have notched up more than 450,000 sessions, with over 28 million screen views. M&A Game has its largest number of players in the US, followed by the UK, then Indonesia.

Developed by leading Australian play agency 3RDSENSE, the ansarada M&A Game is available for all iOS and Android devices, and can be downloaded for free in the app store and on Google Play.