Joystiq

Microsoft acquires R2 Studios, specialist in SmartGlass-like home automation

Mike Schramm — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 20:00:00 EST

Microsoft has beat both Apple and Google in acquiring a startup named R2 Studios, which primarily works in home automation and entertainment. R2 holds a number of patents that have to do with using various mobile devices to control home entertainment software and hardware, and Microsoft is reportedly sending the company to work with its Xbox division. R2 was founded by Blake Krikorian, who also founded the company behind the Slingbox, a set-top device that allows users to stream video across the cloud.

This all sounds like fuel for Microsoft's SmartGlass application, which uses various mobile devices to control and interact with the Xbox. Since we're expecting to see a brand new Xbox console this year, R2 could be sent to work on any number of new products or services.

Microsoft acquires R2 Studios, specialist in SmartGlass-like home automation originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 03 Jan 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Valve acquires Star Filled Studios talent [Update: Valve responds]

David Hinkle — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 14:00:00 EST

Update: We got a response from Valve's Doug Lombardi, who did confirm that Valve hired both Tod Semple and Jeff Gates; however, he did wish to clarify this doesn't necessarily mean Valve is opening up an office in San Francisco, despite what Semple's LinkedIn profile says. "As a point of clarification, this is probably better categorized as Valve hiring two new employees instead of an acquisition of a company or opening of a Valve SF office."

Original story: Star Filled Studios is a two-man outfit, founded by ex-Popcap and Blizzard guys Tod Semple and Jeff Gates, who both worked on Plants vs. Zombies and Diablo 3. "We are opening a new Valve office on the San Francisco peninsula," Semple's LinkedIn profile reads, revealing Valve's acquisition took place in November.

Semple doesn't say anything in regards to what Valve plans to do with this satellite offices in San Francisco, though current speculation is that this move mirrors Valve's acquisition of Turtle Rock Studios in 2008, buying the developer and then finishing Left 4 Dead development on its own. Star Filled has not announced any projects of its own, so it is uncertain what the studio was working on previous to acquisition.

Semple's blog talks about going up to Seattle to visit Valve in September, so we can only imagine this is another Turtle Rock scenario. Again, that's only speculation at this point - we've inquired with Valve for more information and will update accordingly.

[Thanks, FHorrigan; image credit]

Report: Valve acquires Star Filled Studios talent [Update: Valve responds] originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 14 Dec 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Disney acquires Lucasfilm for $4.05 billion, LucasArts included

Jordan Mallory — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 16:31:00 EST

Disney has just announced its purchase of Lucasfilm Limited, the umbrella corporation responsible for all things Star Wars, Indiana Jones and pretty much anything else George Lucas has ever had his hand in. The purchase will set ol' Walt back $4.05 billion.

Industrial Light & Magic, Skywalker Sound and LucasArts are all included in the purchase price, meaning that Disney has not only found a way to profit from the production of movies that it isn't making, but also how to get Jar-Jar Binks into a Kingdom Hearts game.

The company also announced that Star Wars 7 exists and is aiming for a 2015 release date, which makes this the most insane thing ever. Lucasfilm co-chairman Kathleen Kennedy will become president of Lucasfilm under Disney, and will also act as executive producer on "new Star Wars feature films, with George Lucas serving as creative consultant."

Disney acquires Lucasfilm for $4.05 billion, LucasArts included originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 30 Oct 2012 16:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lauder's purchase of OnLive totaled just $4.8 million

Jordan Mallory — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 15:00:00 EST

When venture capitalist group Lauder Partners, LLC purchased and reformed OnLive back in August, it did so for $4.8 million, according to a letter to OnLive's creditors obtained by Polygon and the San Jose Mercury News. The company's blue-light special asking price was due in part to its $18.7 million in debt, in addition to the fact that the last of its available cash had already been allocated to fulfill payroll obligations.

Granted, $4.8 million is still more money than we'll ever see in our entire lives, but it seems a bit paltry when compared with Sony's $380 million acquisition of Gaikai. Under the circumstances, however, this was as good as it was going to get for OnLive.

"Had the sale to the buyer not taken place, the assignee would have been left with inadequate capital to fund the significant costs to preserve and market OnLive's patents and other intellectual property, thus greatly reducing expected recoveries essentially to those of a forced piecemeal auction," says Insolvency Services Group CEO Joel Weinberg in the letter to OnLive's creditors.

OnLive's creditors will receive around $0.26 for every dollar originally owed, according to the letter.

Lauder's purchase of OnLive totaled just $4.8 million originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 10 Oct 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: OnLive losing 'at least 50 percent of staff,' bought out by unknown third party

Ben Gilbert — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 17:46:00 EST

OnLive let go "at least 50 percent" of its staff today, Engadget learned, and the company was purchased by an unknown third party. A former employee confirmed layoff reports that popped up earlier this afternoon and recounted the events that led to today's firings.

A meeting held this morning by CEO Steve Perlman informed employees that "at least 50 percent of the staff" were to be cut, effective as of 4PM PST today. Employees affected in the layoffs are said to have not been offered severance.

Moreover, OnLive was bought out by an unknown third party, and an unknown amount of employees will be offered jobs at the newly formed company. It's unclear why OnLive is suddenly shedding so many employees, but the former employee pointed out monthly operating costs of approximately $5 million as at least part of the reason.

For its part, OnLive isn't confirming any layoffs. "We don't respond to rumors, but of course not," a company rep told Joystiq earlier today regarding reports that the company's entire staff was laid off. Reps wouldn't confirm whether other layoffs have occurred.

Vizio's Co-Star player is the latest product featuring OnLive - it's unclear how, if at all, it will be affected by today's layoffs, not to mention the purchase of OnLive by a third party.

Source: OnLive losing 'at least 50 percent of staff,' bought out by unknown third party originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 17 Aug 2012 17:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MechWarrior Tactics developer snags social studio

Mike Suszek — Sun, 24 Jun 2012 18:00:00 EST

Roadhouse Interactive, developers of MechWarrior Tactics, recently announced the acquisition of social game developer Embassy Interactive in a press release. Now known as Roadhouse Game Studios, the newly-obtained Vancouver team "will focus on new product development for Facebook, smartphones and tablets."

Embassy Interactive developed the UFC Undisputed Fight Night game for Facebook and Tangram Puzzle Pro for iOS.

Continue reading MechWarrior Tactics developer snags social studio

MechWarrior Tactics developer snags social studio originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 24 Jun 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Zynga expects to acquire more companies to rival OMGPop deal

Jessica Conditt — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 20:00:00 EST

When some people are rejected they use it as motivation to improve their own lives: start working out, eat healthier, study harder, create something beautiful. Other people take it personally and start manically hitting on anything in a 50-mile radius to prove that one person was so terribly wrong. Zynga, it turns out, takes rejection personally, and as companies are more people than people are, it's planning a years-long acquisition spree, CEO Mark Pincus tells Bloomberg.

Rovio, the developer of Angry Birds, rejected an offer from Zynga for $2 billion, Bloomberg writes, and from 2010 to 2011 Zynga spent $147 million to acquire 22 companies, and $180 million on Draw Something's OMGPop alone. Zynga's merger chief Barry Cottle is searching for companies with blockbuster social games on the same scale as Farmville and Cityville, Bloomberg says.

Zynga plans to handle "a few" deals similar to or larger than the OMGPop acquisition in the next three to five years, Pincus says.

"We're sitting in a very advantageous position," Cottle says. "We have a significant amount of cash, we have no debt, and we have access to debt to be as aggressive as we need to be." Zynga has $1.81 billion in cash and short-term investments and its stock is unstable, dropping 3.2 percent this morning to $10.59, Bloomberg notes. Let's hope that with all those new employees Zynga is transplanting and taking on, a few of these acquisitions work out as expected.

Zynga expects to acquire more companies to rival OMGPop deal originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 17 Apr 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mojang acquires Minecraft mod makers, will make mods official

Mike Schramm — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 23:59:00 EST

The four main developers behind Bukkit, a popular set of unofficial modifications for Minecraft servers, have been hired on by Mojang, makers of the uber popular block-world simulator. Mojang says Warren Loo, Erik Broes, Nathan Adams and Nathan Gilbert will join the company to update Bukkit and make it more compatible with the next version of the game, and to enable support other server mods in the future.

Loo writes on the official forms that the team will basically redesign the game's API, which means unofficial developers everywhere will be able to hook into the game's mechanics much more easily and smoothly. Mojang points out that there are a few teams that have made popular mods for the game, including Spout and Forge, but the Bukkit team was chosen because they've developed specifically for Minecraft servers. The plan is to have them working on "more than just modding."

Obviously, the gentlemen are quite excited about joining the Mojang guys. That tends to happen when a company whose game you work on for free decides to start paying you in real money.

Mojang acquires Minecraft mod makers, will make mods official originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 28 Feb 2012 23:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tecmo purchasing Atelier developer Gust

JC Fletcher — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 13:25:00 EST

In a move that we're almost certain won't add a third name to its post-merger designation, Tecmo Koei is acquiring Gust Corporation, developer of the Atelier and Ar Tonelico RPG series. Tecmo is purchasing all 495 shares of the developer for ¥22 billion ($28.3 million). We're surprised at that price for the tiny Gust, and we're surprised that Tecmo had that kicking around.

According to Andriasang's translation, Tecmo Koei sees the Atelier series as a popular IP, and hopes to leverage it in multiple fields. We're guessing it means more mobile games -- at least until Tecmo recoups some of that 22 billion yen.

Tecmo purchasing Atelier developer Gust originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 07 Dec 2011 13:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft acquires VideoSurf to 'enhance video discovery capabilities' for Xbox Live

Christopher Grant — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 22:30:00 EST

Though Microsoft's still mysterious Dashboard update is due to arrive in just under two weeks' time, on December 6, Big Redmond isn't resting on its money-covered laurels just yet. The company announced this week the acquisition of "video discovery technology company" VideoSurf.

What the what is video discovery technology and how will it "enhance" Xbox Live? "This holiday we will launch voice search across our entertainment partners on Xbox LIVE," Microsoft's Alex Garden said in a press release. "Over time, as we integrate VideoSurf's technology into our system, we are excited about the potential to have content tagged in real time to increase the speed and relevance of the search results." VideoSurf's back-end technology "'sees' frames inside videos," an ability that Microsoft appears to want to couple with the integrated Bing voice search coming to Xbox 360.

Just imagine, you can make your own streaming "World Funniest Videos" show with the following command: "Xbox, Bing people getting hit in the genitalia."

Microsoft acquires VideoSurf to 'enhance video discovery capabilities' for Xbox Live originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 25 Nov 2011 22:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sega snaps up Spiral Knights dev Three Rings

Griffin McElroy — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 17:45:00 EST

If you've played ... well, any Sega games, you're probably aware of the company's unhealthy fixation on rings. Sonic can't get enough of the things. Ecco the Dolphin will defy the laws of gravity to pierce them. Today, the publisher further developed its addiction: Sega has announced via a press release that it has acquired San Francisco-based Spiral Knights developer Three Rings.

The company's got plenty of street cred, thanks to its well-received pseudo MMO Puzzle Pirates, and its upcoming online game set in the storied Doctor Who universe. Still, that's probably not why Sega bought them. It's because they have rings, you guys. Three of them. If there were a company called Five Rings, or Ten Thousand Rings, Sega probably would have bought them instead.

Sega snaps up Spiral Knights dev Three Rings originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 17 Nov 2011 17:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony snaps up the rest of Ericsson -- so long, feature phones

Richard Mitchell — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 10:30:00 EST

If you've been waiting for the latest and greatest Walkman phone from Sony Ericsson, we've got some bad news. Sony has announced that it plans to buy out Ericsson's 50 percent share in the two companies' joint venture --- at a cool €1.05 billion ($1.47 billion). The goal of the acquisition, according to Sony, is "to rapidly integrate smartphones into its broad array of network-connected consumer electronics devices."

In other words, "feature phones," like the aforementioned Walkman line, are kaput. CEO Howard Stringer confirmed as much during a press conference. The acquisition will allow the company to focus on Android smartphones that will integrate with its other products. As Mr. Stringer puts it, "We can help people enjoy all our content - from movies to music and games - through our many devices, in a way no one else can." The buyout is scheduled to go through this January.

Continue reading Sony snaps up the rest of Ericsson -- so long, feature phones

Sony snaps up the rest of Ericsson -- so long, feature phones originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 27 Oct 2011 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft buys indie developer Twisted Pixel

Justin McElroy — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 06:00:00 EST

After developing games exclusively for Xbox 360 and PC, it's fair to say that indie dev Twisted Pixel has been going steady with Microsoft. Today, the two have finally tied the knot as the Redmond corporation announced that it has purchased the Austin studio.

That may be terrifying news for fans of the dev, which has built games like 'Splosion Man and The Gunstringer around its scrappy DIY aesthetic. But Matt Booty, general manager of Microsoft Studios, told Joystiq it's exactly that character that the company hopes to preserve after the sale.

Continue reading Microsoft buys indie developer Twisted Pixel

Microsoft buys indie developer Twisted Pixel originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 12 Oct 2011 06:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony acquires inFamous dev Sucker Punch Productions

Ludwig Kietzmann — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 04:58:00 EST

Having spent over ten years working on PlayStation-exclusive franchises like Sly Cooper and inFamous, Sucker Punch Productions is now becoming a Sony-owned developer. Sony announced the acquisition of the Bellevue, Washington-based studio this morning, formally adding it to the ranks of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios.

According to Sucker Punch Managing Partner Brian Fleming, "the relationship with SCE has provided us the flexibility and trust to take creative risks and invent new properties."

Among the studio's known properties, inFamous 2 is notable for having been one of the top selling games in June. The next Sucker Punch project has not been announced, but we do know of another "acquisition" that may play a role in it: the studio was recently joined by former Halo designer Jaime Griesemer.

Continue reading Sony acquires inFamous dev Sucker Punch Productions

Sony acquires inFamous dev Sucker Punch Productions originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 02 Aug 2011 04:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Disney wants to buy UTV/Ignition for $454M

Alexander Sliwinski — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 12:03:00 EST

The Walt Disney Company is allegedly working to fully acquire UTV, parent company of Ignition Entertainment, for $454 million. Develop reports that Disney, which already owns 50.4 percent of UTV, is seeking to fully acquire the company for its Bollywood films and TV shows -- and not for its games. If the deal does happen, Ignition's fate would be in the hands of Disney.

Ignition has been troubled for quite some time, altering its business strategy last year and ceasing to develop core games internally. Disney's strategy, on the other hand, has seen the shuttering of its core game studios like Black Rock and Propaganda, and a heavy emphasis on the social space. Disney's acquisition of UTV may have nothing to do with games on the surface, but it'll likely impact Ignition in a dramatic way.

Report: Disney wants to buy UTV/Ignition for $454M originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 27 Jul 2011 12:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EA to acquire PopCap Games for $750 million

Christopher Grant — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 16:17:00 EST

Rumors first began circulating nearly three weeks ago when TechCrunch reported that casual gaming pusher PopCap was going to be acquired for over $1 billion dollars. Now, Electronic Arts has announced its intention to purchase the Seattle-based developer for $750 million, including $100 million in stock. The acquisition is expected to close in August of this year, pending the usual regulatory approvals.

"EA and PopCap are a compelling combination," boasted CEO John Riccitiello, clearly envisioning a newly expanded EA digital empire. "PopCap's great studio talent and powerful IP add to EA's momentum and accelerate our drive towards a $1 billion digital business."

"We picked EA because they have recast their culture around making great digital games," said David Roberts, CEO of PopCap. "By working with EA, we'll scale our games and services to deliver more social, mobile, casual fun to an even bigger, global audience." In case it's not obvious, we'll spell it out for you: O-R-I-G-I-N.

EA to acquire PopCap Games for $750 million originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 12 Jul 2011 16:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PopCap buys ZipZapPlay for Facebook expansion

Alexander Sliwinski — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 15:20:00 EST

PopCap Games has acquired ZipZapPlay, a social games company in San Francisco. The acquisition gives PopCap further inroads into the Facebook game space, which it is currently in third place behind Zynga and EA. ZipZapPlay created Baking Life and Happy Habitat -- yeah, we'd never heard of them either. The financial terms of PopCap's acquisition weren't revealed.

ZipZapPlay CEO Curt Bererton (pictured, being eaten by the dragon couch) and CCO Mathilde Pignol will stay on at the San Francisco studio of 17 employees. The company will retain its name and will report to PopCap's social games VP. PopCap expects to have "four or five" games total on Facebook by the end of this year, which includes the already-released Bejeweled Blitz, Zuma Blitz and ZZP's Baking Life.

Continue reading PopCap buys ZipZapPlay for Facebook expansion

PopCap buys ZipZapPlay for Facebook expansion originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 29 Apr 2011 15:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Planet Moon studios loses funding, Bigpoint acquires staff

Mike Schramm — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 20:40:00 EST

It was a less-than-happy holiday season for the folks over at Planet Moon Studios, it seems -- multiple sources are reporting that the studio responsible for games such as Giants: Citizen Kabuto and Armed & Dangerous ran out of funding last December, due to the loss of a "substantial amount" of money allegedly owed by investors. CEO Aaron Loeb says his company will file suit against its debtors.

Fortunately, MMO developer Bigpoint has picked up 37 staff members from Planet Moon, swelling the ranks of its San Francisco studio to more than 100 people. Bigpoint's CEO, Heko Hubertz, says the refugee staffers will be put to work using their cross-platform experience on Bigpoint's titles, which it just recently claimed have an audience of over 150 million users.

Joystiq has reached out to Loeb for a comment on the pending legal action, and to learn what happened to any titles the company currently has (or had) in development. We'll let you know when we hear back.

Planet Moon studios loses funding, Bigpoint acquires staff originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 12 Jan 2011 20:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Firemint acquires Puzzle Quest dev Infinite Interactive

James Ransom-Wiley — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 11:00:00 EST

You'd think after selling a billion iPhone games, the Firemint crew, makers of those Flight Control and Real Racing games on your phone, would go buy a boat or something. But, oh no, they had to be "smart" with their money, acquiring Puzzle Quest developer Infinite Interactive to form an even stronger, more independent operation, which "works exclusively on self-published original games." Who do these guys think they are ... PopCap?

It would seem that Firemint starter Rob Murray and Infinite Interactive founder Steve Fawkner, both Aussies, have been casually strategizing for years now. "Steve and I have been talking about working together for a long time, and I remember him showing me an early version of Puzzle Quest," Murray recalled. "This inspired me to make a game during my own holidays two years later, which was Flight Control -- and now, another two years later, we've finally found a way to work together!" (The financial terms of the deal haven't been disclosed.)

Infinite Interactive will merge into Firemint's "recently expanded" (how convenient!) offices in Melbourne and continue work on some kind of infectious game that could endanger world health at a bargain price. And then, they'll all probably buy a fleet of boats and retire into Port Phillip Bay.

[Image credit: Firemint]

Firemint acquires Puzzle Quest dev Infinite Interactive originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 04 Jan 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Riccitiello: EA backing away from big acquisitions, not buying Harmonix

Griffin McElroy — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 10:45:00 EST

In a recent interview with Bloomberg, Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello revealed a core attribute that the megapublisher is prioritizing in the coming years: Thriftiness. He explained the company has no interest in pursuing more multi-million dollar acquisitions for now -- rather, he said the company will focus on better integrating some of the major casual game developers it acquired over the past year, including Playfish, the Facebook game developer EA bought out for $300 million (with $100 million in potential bonuses) last November.

When pressed on whether the publisher was considering purchasing the recently let-go Rock Band developer Harmonix, Riccitiello responded that such an acquisition would "look like I'm doubling down on yesterday." He added, "I'm sure some smart investor will buy the business feeling that they can catch a falling knife, but more people have been cut trying to catch falling knives than have benefitted from getting the timing exactly right." That seems awfully harsh, but we suppose it's not quite as harsh as if EA were to buy the developer then dissolve it a few years later.

Riccitiello: EA backing away from big acquisitions, not buying Harmonix originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 30 Nov 2010 10:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Bizarre Creations staff morale boosted by buyer talks

Griffin McElroy — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 14:01:00 EST

Develop reports that anonymous staffers at recently put-on-the-market development studio Bizarre Creations have claimed that morale around the offices has received a boost following a company meeting earlier today. According to Develop's sources, that meeting brought word that a number of interested parties have surfaced who could possibly acquire Bizarre -- though the source didn't name any of those parties, for fear of scaring them away. See, big corporations? They're like baby deer when it comes to acquisitions.

One of Develop's sources mentioned Microsoft as one of Bizarre's potential suitors. That might not be the smoothest transition, considering some of the harsh words Bizarre's higher-ups have said about their former relationship. You know whose loving arms we think they should run back to? 1996-era Psygnosis. Now, that there? That was a match made in heaven.

Report: Bizarre Creations staff morale boosted by buyer talks originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 17 Nov 2010 14:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MachineGames developing under Bethesda, using id Tech 5

James Ransom-Wiley — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 12:15:00 EST

Mega-publisher ZeniMax Media made its acquisition of Swedish developer MachineGames official today, specifying that the studio would be working on multiplatform titles under ZeniMax's Bethesda banner. MachineGames' first unannounced project will be built using sibling studio id Software's id Tech 5 game engine.

"Working with our new colleagues at id and the world class publisher, Bethesda Softworks, is a tremendous opportunity," said MachineGames CEO Jerk Gustafsso, who will serve as executive producer of the new game.

Barely a year old, MachineGames has nothing to show for itself publicly, though the company was established by a gang of ex-Starbreeze founders, including Gustafsso, which is credited with critical darlings The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher's Bay (2004) / Assault on Dark Athena (2009) and The Darkness (2007). Legal documentation of the acquisition appeared to indicate that MachineGames would be re-branded "ZeniMax Sweden," but it seems the studio will retain its original name.

Just two weeks ago, Zenimax made its acquisition of Shinji Mikami's Tango Gameworks official. Just this week, subsidiary Bethesda made its shipment of 5 million blatantly buggy copies of Fallout: New Vegas official -- hey, revenue's gotta come from something while these new studios get settled.

[Pictured: id Software's Rage, built with id Tech 5]

Continue reading MachineGames developing under Bethesda, using id Tech 5

MachineGames developing under Bethesda, using id Tech 5 originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 11 Nov 2010 12:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ubisoft brings online middleware dev Quazal into its brotherhood

James Ransom-Wiley — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 22:15:00 EST

On a bit of a spending spree this week, Ubisoft today added Montreal-based Quazal Technologies to the family. Creator of multiplayer middleware and services, Quazal has worked with Ubisoft for a number of years, and its products power components in a range of the publisher's titles, including this month's Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, the last three Splinter Cell games and Far Cry 2.

"We're happy to be able to continue to express our creative vision via the projects we'll be working on with Ubisoft," Quazal co-founder Martin Lavoie said in a press announcement. Ubisoft has plenty to be happy about, too. While no representative stood up and said as much, executives were no doubt preparing to bathe in a fresh pool of licensing loot. Quazel tech is all up in plenty of other companies' games, after all.

Continue reading Ubisoft brings online middleware dev Quazal into its brotherhood

Ubisoft brings online middleware dev Quazal into its brotherhood originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 04 Nov 2010 22:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ubisoft Quebec adds a Longtail studio

James Ransom-Wiley — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 21:10:00 EST

Ubisoft has reached a deal to absorb 48 members of Longtail Studios Quebec into its own Quebec City studio, reports French-language outlet Le Soleil (Google translation). The acquisition will also result in a reported 5-6 staff layoffs and effectively closes Longtail's Quebec branch, though its New York headquarters and remaining studios are expected to remain in operation for now. Le Soleil claims that anonymous staff from the studio are pleased to now be working directly for a well-established developer -- plus they'll only have to move a few floors in their current office building, which they share with Ubisoft.

The move comes just weeks after Longtail Quebec's studio director, Andreas Mollman, abruptly departed. The studio had most recently contributed to the development of Ubisoft's Michael Jackson: The Experience and other unnamed, but "key" Kinect projects, Ubisoft clarified in a short statement.

The Quebec outfit represented about half of Longtail's total workforce, and the company will now shift the bulk of its development efforts onto its Halifax studio, director general Estelle Jacquemard confirmed. Jacquemard also denied suggestion that the company's future was in question, heralding the success of its most recent release, Dance on Broadway, and saying that ten new jobs would open up in the coming weeks. He also shot down rumor that Longtail's owner, Gerard Guillemot, has plans to get out of the games business altogether -- Gerard is indeed the brother of Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot and a co-founder of the mega-publisher himself.

Ubisoft Quebec adds a Longtail studio originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 03 Nov 2010 21:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Activision and Nintendo were involved in Rare bidding war, former Microsoft exec recounts

Alexander Sliwinski — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 13:00:00 EST

A classic industry tale of "D'oh" tells of how Activision missed an opportunity to buy Blizzard on the cheap a decade before the $18 billion merger. Here's the opposite tale: In 2002, it seems Activision dodged a bullet by losing out in a bidding war to purchase Rare. Microsoft ended up being the fish that took the worm -- for $375 million -- and the rest has been ... well, let's just say that Rare hasn't lived up to the high expectations set by the studio's independent successes (despite having settled into a key role in the Microsoft Game Studios family).

In an interview with Develop, Ed Fries, former Microsoft VP of game publishing, revealed that Activision was close to a deal to secure Rare, but that Microsoft ended up offering more. Fries also shared that Nintendo was involved in the bidding war, further inflating an eventually outrageous price for the developer. At the time, Nintendo owned half of Rare, so if Microsoft had bid low, the House of Mario could have easily taken control of the entire studio. "So, there's a problem: If we drive a hard bargain and put in a low price for Rare, Nintendo would have the chance to buy at that low price and probably would," Fries reasoned. "So, the price was high."

Unfortunately for Fries and Microsoft, they did not heed Kenny Rodgers' sage advice: "You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, know when to walk away and know ... when to run."

Activision and Nintendo were involved in Rare bidding war, former Microsoft exec recounts originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 27 Oct 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EA purchasing mobile publisher Chillingo

JC Fletcher — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 15:00:00 EST

EA is climbing to the top of the casual and iPhone game spaces -- by buying companies who are already at the top of those spaces. Reuters reports that EA is purchasing Chillingo, publisher of iOS hits like Cut the Rope (pictured), iDracula and (in the UK) Angry Birds.

EA confirmed the purchase to Reuters, but declined to confirm the reported $20 million buying price. Even if EA just grabs a few falling feathers -- solid golden feathers, of course -- from the hugely popular Angry Birds, the deal would be totally worth it, right? Besides, $20 million sounds like a steal compared to the $300 million (with another $100 million contingent on performance) EA splayed out for Playfish.

EA purchasing mobile publisher Chillingo originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 20 Oct 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Arkane Studios acquired by Zenimax; new project to be announced soon

JC Fletcher — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 16:10:00 EST

Filed under: Weird But True, Opinions, New In Pop Culture

Even Bethesda can't resist releasing some (tangentially) BioShock-related news today. During QuakeCon, Bethesda's Pete Hines announced that parent company Zenimax has acquired Arkane Studios, who most recently worked on level design for BioShock 2. The developer is also responsible for Arx Fatalis and Dark Messiah of Might and Magic.

At the keynote, Arkane CEO Raphael Colantonio expressed his delight at being in the same company as id Software and Bethesda Softworks, and teased an unannounced game to be shown in the future, "including at QuakeCon." Which is, in fact, right now. So we'll find out about the product of this union really soon.

Arkane Studios acquired by Zenimax; new project to be announced soon originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 12 Aug 2010 16:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Disney acquires social game dev Playdom for $563.2m

Griffin McElroy — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 17:35:00 EST

Filed under: Weird But True, Opinions, New In Pop Culture

Disney Interactive today announced its acquisition of social game developer Playdom. Rumor of the deal surfaced late last week, when it was suggested that Disney was ready to pay in excess of $600 million for the company. The final handshake was over a much more reasonable sum of $563.2 million (plus a "performance-linked earn-out of up to $200 million"). And now, our expert analysis of the transaction: "Sweet baby Jesus, that's so much money."

Playdom, which has only been in operation for two-and-a-half-years, has created a number of successful social gaming properties that you've ... probably never heard of, including Social City, Sorority Life and Market Street. It's properties have about 42 million active players every month, which gives some indication as to why Disney was so eager to bring Playdom into its magic kingdom. Then again, maybe Ole D didn't want to be the only publisher that missed out on the recent craze over social game developers. Haven't you heard? They're all the rage.

Disney acquires social game dev Playdom for $563.2m originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 27 Jul 2010 17:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumor: Disney eyeing Playdom acquisition

Alexander Sliwinski — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 23:20:00 EST

TechCrunch and VentureBeat both have sources claiming Disney is ready to purchase social gaming developer Playdom for over $600 million. There are currently obscene amounts of money being invested in the social gaming arena; just last year EA purchased Playfish, another big player in the space, for $300 million.

Disney Interactive Media, which continues to have annual losses, has been working on making or buying a mega-money maker. Split/Second obviously isn't panning out, but Club Penguin seems to be doing fine. There's also the question of how the company will eventually incorporate the Marvel properties, unless it opts to continue licensing those out. The Playdom purchase, if true, would give the company access to a demographic that its current mouse house of studios doesn't directly service.

Rumor: Disney eyeing Playdom acquisition originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 23 Jul 2010 23:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mad Catz acquires headset manufacturer Tritton Technologies

Griffin McElroy — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 13:00:00 EST

Mad Catz is looking to dip its toes into the cool, soothing waters of the high-quality gaming headset market, as is evident by its recent acquisition of fellow peripheral manufacturer, Tritton Technologies. Mad Catz announced today that it had purchased 100 percent of Tritton's stock for $1 million, with an additional $9 million in bonuses available to the headset company based on sales success of its products over the next five years.

In addition to snatching up Tritton's product line, Mad Catz also entered into an employment agreement with Tritton CEO Christopher Von Huben, as well as a "limited number of other key Tritton employees." Maybe these new elements within the company will be able to convince its leaders to finally drop that eponymous "z" for a much more respectable "s."

Mad Catz acquires headset manufacturer Tritton Technologies originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 01 Jun 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Playdom adds Acclaim Games to its portfolio

David Hinkle — Thu, 20 May 2010 00:30:00 EST

Back in the way back when of 2006, a group of private investors got together and decided to purchase the Acclaim name. Resurrecting the company -- the name's built-in brand awareness was a major factor for the purchase -- the new Acclaim Games aimed to grab its own slice of the casual gaming pie. Since then, it's managed to accrue 15 million subscribers through its website, offering a plethora of free-to-play casual MMOs.

And now casual gaming giant Playdom has gone ahead and acquired Acclaim. The press release (PDF link) highlights Acclaim as the perfect fit for Playdom's hefty catalog of social titles. "Joining forces with Playdom is a natural fit," said Howard Marks, Acclaim CEO and the man who will oversee Acclaim operations for Playdom and have an active role in the parent company's business development division. "Both companies share the vision of connecting people globally through quality social games. Our deep expertise in building multiplayer online games and Playdom's vast player community will help us bring out the next generation of social games."

Exact figures for how much Playdom spent on Acclaim are currently not available.

[Via Big Download]

Source - Playdom announces acquisition of Acclaim Games Inc. (PDF)

Playdom adds Acclaim Games to its portfolio originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 20 May 2010 00:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Media Molecule becomes a wholly-owned Sony first-party studio

Andrew Yoon — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 12:10:00 EST

A lot of developers have earned publishing deals with Sony this generation, but only a small handful have managed to deliver a real "blockbuster." (Sorry, Lair and Heavenly Sword.) Three million copies, two million levels, and one Game of the Year edition later, Sony Computer Entertainment has decided to purchase LittleBigPlanet developer Media Molecule. The Guildford-based studio will join the ranks of other SCEE teams, such as London Studio, Guerrilla Games and Evolution Studios.

While Media Molecule is no longer an independent studio, Michael Denny, Senior VP of Sony Worldwide Studios promised to continue supporting the team: "Media Molecule will simply continue to make great games. Welcoming Media Molecule into the PlayStation family will allow us to better support their future titles and ambitions."

The acquisition likely guarantees that Media Molecule will continue to work on the LittleBigPlanet "platform" for years to come -- although we hope SCEE allows the team to explore creating new franchises as well. Of course, considering the ambitious plans the team has for LBP, it seems Media Molecule will have their hands full for quite a long time.

Media Molecule becomes a wholly-owned Sony first-party studio originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 02 Mar 2010 12:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Neil Young sees opportunity for ngmoco to be 'as meaningful as Electronic Arts,' still focusing on iPhone

Ben Gilbert — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 17:30:00 EST

[kyeung808]

Following up on the recent purchase of Freeverse by Neil Young's ngmoco, the ex-Electronic Arts exec spoke business with PocketGamer. Young's remarks ran the gamut, touching on subjects ranging from the possibility of expanding to other mobile platforms (spoilers: it ain't happening) to how he feels about the future of his still nascent dev house. "Our opportunity is to build a company in this space that's as meaningful, impactful and long lasting as Electronic Arts," the ngmoco head said.

And while he's still interested in the possible purchase of more studios ("We will continue to look for acquisitions that make sense at a studio or company level and acquisitions of applications."), he's still not committing to development for smartphones other than the iPhone. "The iPhone is in a strong leadership position ... I'd say that among the pack of competitors, Android is the furthest advanced but it remains significantly behind the iPhone and iPod touch ... for us the real focus is the iPhone OS," Young explained. We're not sure which parallel dimension's version of EA Mr. Young is comparing ngmoco to, but the EA we know makes its games for as many consoles as possible.

Neil Young sees opportunity for ngmoco to be 'as meaningful as Electronic Arts,' still focusing on iPhone originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 25 Feb 2010 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ngmoco acquires iPhone game dev Freeverse

Ben Gilbert — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 21:00:00 EST

Despite a still-wavering economy (and industry-wide layoffs), Neil Young's ngmoco has just bought up large Brooklyn-based iPhone game developer Freeverse. Gamasutra talked to both ngmoco and Freeverse, who (expectedly) had nothing but sugary kisses to throw at each other. "We've been thinking about how to accelerate our strategic growth though acquisitions of companies and intellectual property, and Freeverse was really at the top of our list," said Neil Young. Meanwhile, vice president of Freeverse Colin Lynch Smith described the relationship between his company and Young's as "like the perfect dating situation." Now things are really steaming up!

The ngmoco head further describes his company's goal in the purchase as, "to acquire the companies we think have the right blend of talent and DNA and intellectual property we think will work well in the freemium space," echoing comments he made recently on why Rolando 3 never got to roll around on our iPhones. With plans to reach out to developers with the Plus+ SDK (the company's social networking service) in the coming weeks and an outwardly aggressive strategy to pursue the free-to-play market, ngmoco certainly has plenty on its plate in 2010.

Ngmoco acquires iPhone game dev Freeverse originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 24 Feb 2010 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumor: EA buys developer IronMonkey Studios

Alexander Sliwinski — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 18:00:00 EST

Electronic Arts has allegedly purchased Australia-based IronMonkey Studios, best known for developing several successful iPhone titles for the mega-publisher. If true, the purchase continues EA's path of "restructuring" and a business strategy that targets casual, online and mobile markets.

Aussie website Tsumea broke the acquisition story citing "very reliable sources" and noting that "details are very slim at the moment." Our own attempts to get EA to acknowledge the purchase are being answered by the sounds of silence. We'll be sure to update as soon as EA decides to say anything -- although, if it's in Simlish, we'll likely need a translator.

[Via Develop]

Rumor: EA buys developer IronMonkey Studios originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 23 Feb 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Warner Bros. acquires Batman dev Rocksteady Studios

Ludwig Kietzmann — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 08:36:00 EST

Holy strategic acquisition, predictable Batman reference! Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group has announced its purchase of a majority stake in Rocksteady Studios, the developer responsible for towing Batman's star vehicle out of a muddy Gotham ditch. Rocksteady's Batman: Arkham Asylum debuted in 2009 to critical applause and has since shipped over three million copies.

Jamie Walker, studio director of Rocksteady Games, expressed pride in the deal -- the cost of which has not been disclosed. "We are proud to strengthen our association with WBIE, a world class publisher that we have enjoyed working with since we began developing Batman: Arkham Asylum," he said. In addition, games director and excellent sniper position Sefton Hill noted, "The Rocksteady team is very much looking forward to creating more great games based on widely recognized Warner Bros. brands like Batman."

What Warner license will Rocksteady revive next? Whatever it is, it'll have to wait until construction is completed on the unnamed Arkham Asylum sequel.

[Update: Square Enix Europe (Eidos) has confirmed that it still retains a 25.1 percent stake in Rocksteady.]

Warner Bros. acquires Batman dev Rocksteady Studios originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 23 Feb 2010 08:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Carmack and Hollenshead reflect on id sale

Xav de Matos — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 12:58:00 EST

Six months after the acquisition deal that brought id Software under the wing of Bethesda parent-company ZeniMax, id Software co-founder John Carmack has again weighed in on the move and why he feels it made sense for the studio. Speaking with Edge Online, Carmack cited a waning interest from publishing partners -- specifically, Activision's decision to focus on internal development -- as a major contributing factor in the sale of the nearly 20-year-old company.

When the deal was first announced, games media focused on the sale of a long-time independent developer; however, id president Todd Hollenshead views the situation from a different angle. "I think it's just as true that we acquired an internal publishing capacity," he said. According to Hollenshead, ZeniMax values development "for its own sake," rather than "trying to put something in a box and relying on marketing for sales."

In the modern games industry where "the business is so much about either having a hit or being totally irrelevant," Hollenshead says a strong publishing partner is increasingly important to the survival of a development studio. Truthfully, we're happy for id Software. If the Activision partnership had continued, it would have been just a matter of time before the house that Doom built was tapped for some kind of peripheral-related disaster.

Carmack and Hollenshead reflect on id sale originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 29 Jan 2010 12:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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'EA is in the wrong business,' ex-exec Lasky blogs

Alexander Sliwinski — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 13:45:00 EST

Former Electronic Arts executive Mitch Lasky, who is now a member of venture firm Benchmark Capital, is not holding back his thoughts on the current financial turbulence at EA. Once EA's executive VP of mobile and online, Lasky now writes on his personal blog, "EA is in the wrong business, with the wrong cost structure and the wrong team, but somehow they seem to think that it is going to be a smooth, two-year transition from packaged goods to digital."

Strictly from a business perspective, Lasky lays out what he sees has gone wrong at EA, noting that in February of 2007 he made the argument to the former EA CEO that the company needed to cut $200 million annually by "reducing headcount and cutting back on ridiculous expenditures on risky titles" like Spore, Godfather and The Simpsons. He also advocated for "hyper-aggressive [research and development] investment and acquisitions in a transition to digital distribution and games-as-service." EA is starting to make such a transition, as seen in the publisher's strong iPhone and mobile sales, along with its dabbling in Facebook games. On the other hand, EA's MMO track record has been a legacy of failure that includes Earth & Beyond, The Sims Online and (sorry) Warhammer Online -- but perhaps Star Wars: The Old Republic will change that.

Given that EA's current value is so low (by billionaire's standards), Lasky finds it incredible that nobody has stepped in and scooped up the company for a bargain, noting that "Disney has been looking at them since I was at the house of the mouse back in the early 90's. And there are Chinese companies, like TenCent, that could easily swallow EA whole."

[Via Big Download]

'EA is in the wrong business,' ex-exec Lasky blogs originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 14 Jan 2010 13:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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'The Rook' IP acquired for 'television, film, and gaming'

Ben Gilbert — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 16:30:00 EST

[Image credit: Jeremy Brooks]

With little in the way of solid information, the A.N. Group recently announced its acquisition of the intellectual property rights behind "The Rook." If you're unfamiliar with the time-traveling comic book character of the 1970s and 80s ... well, we're right there with you. Apparently he's a descendant of the family from H.G. Wells' book The Time Machine that goes by the name Restin Dane? Who knew! Anyway, the A.N. Group has big plans for the name, intending to take it "from the pages of comics and print to television, film and gaming."

To clarify what that means, we asked A.N. Group representatives and were told "We've got some major plans ... it's really really interesting stuff." More specifically, we asked if a Rook game will show up on major consoles or something more ... casual. "I would never frown on any format or any idea of that nature, but as far as the modules for the iPhones with touch -- I'm much more interested in the console or PC format," creative consultant Brady Baya told us. "It's still very much in the infancy stage -- I think there's some connections with EA, but really we're gonna network with all the major players to see who has a take on what. I'm thinking there's huge potential for an MMO as well as an adventure platform as far as where we wanna go with it."

This, of course, begs the question -- if Restin can travel through time, shouldn't he already know where he'll end up? Ohhh no, now we're having an existential crisis. Man, this always happens.

'The Rook' IP acquired for 'television, film, and gaming' originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 13 Jan 2010 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Crispy Gamer buys GamerDNA

Christopher Grant — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 14:30:00 EST

It looks like Crispy Gamer's review of GamerDNA -- following the partnership announced back in February, known as the "Try It" period -- has come back and the verdict is: Buy It. Mass High Tech Business News reports that the Cambridge-based GamerDNA has "found a buyer" in NY-based game site, Crispy Gamer, but will "continue to exist as a separate entity." GamerDNA CEO Jon Radoff writes that the social-networking-slash-data-driven gaming site he founded two and a half years ago has "merged" with Crispy Gamer and the serial entrepreneur won't be sticking around long. "I'll help out Chris Heldman (the CEO of Crispy Gamer) for a little bit to make sure things go smoothly -- but I'm an entrepreneur, and I'll start something new in 2010," Radoff says.

This follows last week's news that GameSpot would partner with GamerDNA-competitor Raptr. If that sounds like a partnership that may have forced Radoff's hand in selling the company, we'd be inclined to agree; GamerDNA cut its staff nearly in half back in October, and Radoff writes that "it didn't make sense for us to 'go it alone' in the market any longer." While Crispy Gamer is no GameSpot, Radoff says that the site "has very ambitious plans to build a media company around the gaming market." We're hoping to finally get used to that name by the time those plans come to fruition.

[Via @eliciab35]

Crispy Gamer buys GamerDNA originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 17 Dec 2009 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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