Acquisition of Melon, Inc.

On May 4, 2023 (“Melon Acquisition Date”), Super League entered into an Asset Purchase Agreement (the “Melon Purchase Agreement”) with Melon, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Melon”), pursuant to which the Company acquired substantially all of the assets of Melon (the “Melon Assets”) (the “Melon Acquisition”). The consummation of the Acquisition (the “Melon Closing”) occurred simultaneously with the execution of the Purchase Agreement. Melon is a development studio building innovative virtual worlds in partnership with powerful consumer brands across music, film, TV, sports, fashion and youth culture. The acquisition of Melon further strengthens the Company’s position as a one-stop solutions provider and strategic operating partner for brands and businesses seeking to expand and activate communities throughout the gaming metaverse.

At the Melon Closing, the Company paid an aggregate total of $900,000 to Melon (the “Melon Closing Consideration”), of which $150,000 was paid in cash, and the remaining $750,000 was paid in the form of shares of the Company’s common stock (with a closing date fair value of $722,000), valued at $9.64 (the “Closing Share Price”), the VWAP, as quoted on the Nasdaq Capital Market, for the five (5) trading days immediately preceding May 4, 2023. Refer to the table below for calculation of the fair value of consideration paid.

Pursuant to the terms and subject to the conditions of the Purchase Agreement, up to an aggregate of $2,350,000 (the “Melon Contingent Consideration”) will be payable to Melon in connection with the achievement of certain revenue milestones for the period from the Melon Closing until December 31, 2023 (the “Melon First Earnout Period”) in the amount of $1,000,000, and for the year ending December 31, 2024 (the “Melon Second Earnout Period”) in the amount of $1,350,000 (the “Melon Second Earnout Period” and the “Melon First Earnout Period” are collectively referred to as the “Melon Earnout Periods”). The Melon Contingent Consideration is payable in the form of cash and common stock, with $600,000 of the aggregate Melon Contingent Consideration being payable in the form of cash, and $1,750,000 payable in the form of common stock, valued at the greater of (a) the Closing Share Price, and (b) the VWAP for the five trading days immediately preceding the end of each respective Melon Earnout Period.

Additionally, pursuant to the Melon Purchase Agreement, the Company entered into employment agreements with two former key Melon employees (“Key Melon Employees”), pursuant to which the Key Melon Employees were granted inducement awards consisting of restricted stock unit awards (“RSUs”) to acquire an aggregate of 103,780 shares of the Company’s common stock. The awards were granted pursuant to terms and conditions fixed by the Compensation Committee of the Board and as an inducement material to each new employee entering employment with Super League in accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635I(4). Of the 103,780 RSUs: (A) 41,512 of the RSUs will vest in 25 equal monthly installments beginning on May 4, 2023, and on the first of each calendar month, subject to the applicable employee’s continued service with Super League on each such vesting date; and (B) 62,268 of the RSUs will vest as follows: (i) 25% will vest upon the achievement of certain net revenue targets for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2024, to be determined by the Board in its discretion; (ii) 25% upon the achievement of certain net revenue targets for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2025, to be determined by the Board in its sole discretion; (iii) 25% upon Super League’s common stock maintaining a minimum closing price of at least $30.00 over a rolling 30 consecutive trading day period, as quoted on the Nasdaq Capital Market; and (iv) 25% upon Super League’s common stock maintaining a minimum closing price of at least $50.00 over a rolling 30 consecutive trading day period, as quoted on the Nasdaq Capital Market. The vesting of the RSUs will accelerate upon a change of control of the Company. In addition, upon (Y) the Company’s termination of the employment of the respective employee without cause, or (Z) the respective employees resignation for good reason, the RSUs will continue to vest as if (Y) or (Z) had not occurred. The RSUs are subject to the terms and conditions of the RSU agreement covering each grant.

The Acquisition was approved by the board of directors of each of the Company and Melon and was approved by the sole stockholder of Melon.

In accordance with the acquisition method of accounting, the financial results of Super League presented herein include the financial results of Melon subsequent to the Melon Closing Date. Disclosure of revenue and net loss for Melon on a stand-alone basis for the applicable periods presented is not practical due to the integration of Melon activities, including sales, products, advertising inventory, resource allocation and related operating expense, with those of the consolidated Company upon acquisition, consistent with Super League operating in one reporting segment.

The Company determined that the Melon Acquisition constitutes a business acquisition as defined by ASC 805. Accordingly, the assets acquired, and liabilities assumed in the transaction were recorded at their estimated acquisition date fair values, while transaction costs associated with the acquisition, totaling approximately $47,000, were expensed as incurred pursuant to the acquisition method of accounting in accordance with ASC 805. Super League’s preliminary purchase price allocation was based on an evaluation of the appropriate fair values of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed and represents management’s best estimate based on available data. Fair values are determined based on the requirements of ASC 820.

The following table summarizes the determination of the fair value of the purchase price consideration paid in connection with the Melon Acquisition, as of the Melon Closing Date:

The purchase price allocation was based upon an estimate of the fair value of the assets acquired and the liabilities assumed by the Company in connection with the Melon Acquisition, as of the Melon Closing Date, as follows:

The following table presents details of the fair values of the acquired intangible assets of Melon:

Contingent consideration is recorded as a liability in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets in accordance with ASC 480, which requires freestanding financial instruments where the Company must or could settle the obligation by issuing a variable number of its shares, and the obligation’s monetary value is based solely or predominantly on variations in something other than the fair value of the Company’s shares, to be recorded as a liability at fair value and re-valued at each reporting date, with changes in the fair value reported in the consolidated statements of operations. The estimated fair value of the Melon Contingent Consideration was $538,000 at December 31, 2023. The fair value of the Melon Contingent Consideration on the respective valuation dates was determined utilizing a Monte Carlo simulation model and measured using Level 3 inputs, as described at Note 2. Assumptions utilized in connection with utilization of the Monte Carlo simulation model for the periods presented included risk free interest rates ranging from 4.04 % to 5.35%, volatility rates ranging from 70% to 85%, and discount rate of 30%.

The change in fair value, which is included in contingent consideration expense in the condensed consolidated statement of operations for the applicable periods present was comprised of the following: 

Aggregated amortization expense related to intangible assets acquired in connection with the Melon Acquisition for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 totaled $27,000 and $80,000, respectively. Aggregated amortization expense related to intangible assets acquired in connection with the Melon Acquisition for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 totaled $37,000 and $60,000, respectively.

Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price of the acquired business over the acquisition date fair value of the net assets acquired. Goodwill recorded in connection with the Melon Acquisition is primarily attributable to expected synergies from combining the operations and assets of Super League and Melon, and also includes residual value attributable to the assembled and trained workforce acquired in the acquisition.

Management is primarily responsible for determining the fair value of the tangible and identifiable intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed as of the Melon Closing Date. Management considered a number of factors, including reference to a preliminary independent analysis of estimated fair values solely for the purpose of allocating the purchase price to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed. The analysis included a preliminary discounted cash flow analysis which estimated the future net cash flows expected to result from the respective assets acquired as of the Melon Closing Date. A discount rate consistent with the risks associated with achieving the estimated net cash flows was used to estimate the present value of future estimated net cash flows. The Company is in the process of finalizing the estimates and assumptions developed in connection with the independent analysis of estimated fair values of intangible assets acquired solely for the purpose of allocating the purchase price to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed. Any adjustments to the fair values of intangible assets acquired, or estimates of economic useful lives of the intangible assets acquired, could impact the carrying value of those assets and related goodwill, as well as the estimates of periodic amortization of intangible assets acquired to be reflected in the statement of operations.

The fair values of the acquired intangible assets, as described above, was determined using the following methods:

For tax purposes, consistent with the accounting for book purposes, the Melon Closing Consideration was allocated to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed based on their estimated fair values as of the acquisition date, with the excess purchase price allocated to goodwill. As a result, no deferred tax assets or liabilities were recorded with the acquisition and all of the goodwill is expected to be deductible for tax purposes.

The following unaudited pro forma combined results of operations for the periods presented are provided for illustrative purposes only. The unaudited pro forma combined statements of operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, assume the acquisition occurred as of January 1, 2022. The unaudited pro forma combined financial results do not purport to be indicative of the results of operations for future periods or the results that actually would have been realized had the entities been a single entity during these periods.

Pro forma adjustments primarily relate to the amortization of identifiable intangible assets acquired over the estimated economic useful life as described above, the exclusion of nonrecurring transaction costs, the exclusion of depreciation related to tangible and intangible assets of Melon existing immediately prior to the Melon Acquisition Date, and adjustments related to administrative redundancies.

Acquisition of Super Biz – Contingent Consideration

On October 4, 2021 (“Super Biz Closing Date”), the Company entered into an Asset Purchase Agreement (the “Super Biz Purchase Agreement”) with Super Biz Co. and the founders of Super Biz (the “Founders”), pursuant to which the Company acquired (i) substantially all of the assets of Super Biz (the “Super Biz Assets”), and (ii) the personal goodwill of the Founders regarding Super Biz’s business, (the “Super Biz Acquisition”). The consummation of the Super Biz Acquisition (the “Super Biz Closing”) occurred simultaneously with the execution of the Super Biz Purchase Agreement on the Super Biz Closing Date.

Pursuant to the terms and subject to the conditions of the Super Biz Purchase Agreement, up to an aggregate amount $11.5 million will be payable to Super Biz and the Founders in connection with the achievement of certain revenue milestones for the period from the Super Biz Closing Date until December 31, 2022 (“Initial Earn Out Period”) and for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2023 (the “Super Biz Second Earn Out Period”) (“Super Biz Earn Out Periods”). The Super Biz Contingent Consideration is payable in the form of both cash and shares of the Company’s common stock, in equal amounts, as more specifically set forth in the Super Biz Purchase Agreement.

The Company hired the Founders of Super Biz in connection with the Super Biz Acquisition. Pursuant to the provisions of the Super Biz Purchase Agreement, in the event that a Founder ceases to be an employee during any of the Super Biz Earn Out Periods, as a consequence of his resignation without good cause, or termination for cause, the Super Biz Contingent Consideration will be reduced by one-half (50%) for the respective Super Biz Earn Out Periods, if and when earned. Under ASC 805, a contingent consideration arrangement in which the payments are automatically forfeited if employment terminates is considered to be compensation for post-combination services, and not acquisition consideration. As such, the Super Biz Contingent Consideration, is accounted for as post-combination services and expensed in the period that payment of any amounts of contingent consideration is determined to be probable and reasonably estimable. Contingent consideration is recorded as a liability in the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheets in accordance with ASC 480, which requires freestanding financial instruments where the company must or could settle the obligation by issuing a variable number of its shares, and the obligation's monetary value is based solely or predominantly on variations in something other than the fair value of the company's shares, to be recorded as a liability at fair value and re-valued at each reporting date, with changes in the fair value reported in the condensed consolidated statements of operations.

The change in accrued Super Biz Contingent Consideration and the related income statement impact for the periods presented was comprised of the following:

Issuance of Promissory Note. In August 2024, the Company issued an unsecured promissory note to the Founders in connection with the remaining Super Biz Second Earn Out Period accrued contingent consideration outstanding, with a principal amount totaling approximately $1.8 million, whereby the Company is obligated to pay the outstanding contingent consideration on the following repayment terms (“Super Biz Note”):

Interest accrues on the outstanding principal at the rate of 8.5% per annum, and accrues until the earlier of (i) repayment of the Super Biz Note in full, or (ii) the Maturity Date; provided, however, during the existence of an event of default, as defined in the Super Biz Note, interest shall accrue on all outstanding principal at the contractual default rate, as defined in the Super Biz Note. Super Biz Note related interest expense for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 totaled $25,000 and $25,000, respectively.

All outstanding principal and accrued interest may be prepaid by the Company prior to the Maturity Date at the election of the Company. Upon the occurrence of any event of default, as defined in the Super Biz Note, the Founders may at any time declare all unpaid obligations to be immediately due and payable.

Restricted Common Stock Issuance. In addition, in connection with the issuance of the Super Biz Note, during the period commencing January 2, 2025 and concluding on January 6, 2025, the Company will issue 98,438 shares of the Company’s common stock to the Founders.

The issuance of the Super Biz Note in exchange for the related accrued contingent consideration balance was accounted for as an extinguishment of the original liability due to the fact that the present value of the cash flows under the terms of Super Biz Note was determined to be at least 10 percent different from the present value of the remaining cash flows under the terms of the original obligation. As a result, a gain on extinguishment totaling $336,000 was recorded in the statement of operations, and credited to additional paid in capital (included in “Other” in the consolidated statement of stockholder’s equity), for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024, primarily comprised of the fair value of the 98,438 shares of restricted stock (based on closing price of our common stock on the date of issuance of the Super Biz Note) to be issued, as described above.

The default interest provision included in the Super Biz Note represents an embedded derivative with a fair value of $171,000 as of August 1, 2024, the date of issuance of the Super Biz Note. The fair value of the derivative liability is included in the September 30, 2024 balance sheet under the caption “Promissory note – contingent consideration,” and is required to be marked to market at each balance sheet. The change in fair value of the derivative liability was not material for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024.