It was announced today that Ritual Entertainment has been acquired by purveyor of casual games, MumboJumbo. The latter company describes the move as "consistent with our strategy to bring high-quality casual game content to the major platforms," citing Ritual's multi-platform development experience as a key advantage in creating a "major industry powerhouse." Interestingly, Ron Dimant started up MumboJumbo only after departing his CEO position at Ritual Entertainment in 2001.

GameDaily BIZ delves into some of the repercussions of the purchase, the most obvious of which is Ritual's shift to creating casual and seemingly SiN-free titles. "If there's an opportunity to have them do something on the SiN episodes, we would look at that, but that will not be the focus of the company," explains Mark Cottam, CEO of MumboJumbo. "The combined companies will focus exclusively on casual, unless opportunities present themselves that we think are strategic from a business standpoint."

Considering the muted reaction generated by the first (and apparently final) installment of SiN Episodes, continuing the franchise would likely not be considered "strategic" in the slightest.

[Thanks Serban.]

Sophos PLC is in the business of security. For years the company has designed software to protect business networks from viruses and spyware. But a recent survey determined a need to extend security concerns to another productivity inhibitor: games. And so, a January upgrade to Sophos's application will quietly erect a wall, blocking mischievous employees from their secret workplace obsessions, like The Sims 2, Need For Speed Carbon, and Guild Wars: Nightfall.

Of course, blocking games does more than just thwart slackerdom, it protects networks against malware (often hidden in game installations); programs that could potentially compromise a business's security. We're all for playing it safe too -- just keep an ear out for big boss as you sneak some Portable Ops in under the desk.

[Via VH1 Game Break]

The Associated Press describes the state of casual games, giving an overview of the business side of the industry. The story quotes research group DFC Intelligence, putting the annual revenue of these games at nearly a billion dollars -- and that number doesn't even include casual games on "handheld devices."

With all of that money in play, the casual games segment is beginning to look like a microcosm of the whole games industry; even casual games are becoming sequel- and hit-driven titles. The article says PopCap took two-and-a-half years and $700,000 to develop a sequel to Bookworm Adventures, while just a few years ago, three developers could create a game for $100,000 in less than six months.

We hope that the casual market balances cash-cow sequels with new game types. We action-puzzle fans can only play Tetris -- or Bookworm Adventures -- so many times.

While attending my niece's soccer game this past weekend, I noticed a few furry new additions to the family. "They're Webkinz", she said referring to the pink poodle and St. Bernard stuffed animals she and my nephew had brought with them. At first, there didn't seem to be anything special about these Webkinz, until a few of her schoolmates came over with plush little pals of their own. Then they all started talking about emailing each other at their Webkinz addresses, and playing games at the Webkinz web site. That's when I became interested in learning more about this emerging craze created by gift maker Ganz.

Webkinz combines elements of Nintendogs, The Sims, Brain Age, and Nick.com, packaging all of it together in a secure online environment for kids and their 'kinz. The result is an addictive blend of educational and simulation-style activities geared toward maintaining your pet's avatar and its virtual living space. Food and furniture are paid for with Kinzcash, the community currency which is accrued while playing games and taking quizzes. A word puzzle game had my nephew and I hooked for almost an hour, and the "one more round" syndrome manifested itself in both of us each time we achieved one goal and were given another.

Despite Wall Street grumblings and increased federal legislation, this pre-pubescent enthusiasm ensures a healthy future for the gaming industry. Ganz isn't just grooming digital dogs and cats, but also tomorrow's PlayStation 4 and MMO gamers. The ingredients are all here: the online community, competitive gaming, an achievement system, and the W Shop (the place where you spend your Kinzcash). It's not quite Live Anywhere, but the physical extension of the plush toy creates a persistent real world experience away from the desktop computer, keeping young users engaged throughout the day no matter where they venture. Just make sure you monitor your kids' health and hunger meters as often as they monitor their Webkinz's.

See also: Microsoft educates parents on 20-city bus tour

eMarketer covers two recent studies, saying that casual games make up the most popular genre, and women are the majority of casual gamers. According to a May, 2006 study by AOL, 29% of respondents said that casual games were their favorite genre, with strategy games rating a distant second place at 17%. A survey just released by PopCap says that 76% of casual gamers are female, and 47% are 50-and-older.

But marketers can make numbers mean anything; another way to look at the initial survey is to say that 70% of respondents had a favorite other than casual games. (1% said they weren't sure of a favorite.)

However you interpret these surveys, we like the idea of games reaching a more diverse audience. Only after that happens can games be as culturally significant as books and movies.

[Via: Adrants]

AddictingGames.com (part of Viacom), just created a newsgames repository for web games based on current news events. Games include the Zidane game we blogged back in June, Cheney's Fury, Bush Backrub and Darfur is Dying.

The company expects most of these games to come from users of the site (aka, free labor!), with game developer Persuasive Games filling out the offering where needed.

Persuasive Games founder Ian Bogost is characteristically academic (and characteristically right) about the venture: "the news is constantly changing, and games give us a new way to understand current events."

This idea ain't new (see The Guardian's The Role of Play from May 2004), but that doesn't mean it's not worth pursuing. Here's to hoping that they'll bring us a mix of goofy content like the Zidane headbutt game in addition to more serious, impactful games like September 12 (from which the post image is taken) or Madrid.

Something's perverse about the idea of a casual games tournament, but that's exactly what happened when 71 gamers who don't speak a word of l337 gathered to compete in Bejeweled 2, Solitaire and Zuma.

We're having trouble imagining a LAN party without overwhelming BO, shouts of "pwnt!" and at least one Y chromosome for every X, but that's what Fun Technologies claims happened this past weekend in Hollywood, CA.

To be serious for just a second: casual games tournaments are nothing new. Scrabble, Chess, Poker and Bridge tournies have been around for many years (in some cases, hundreds of 'em). This may well be the biggest prize awarded in a software-based casual game tournament, though.

Professional FPS players the world over can now rest easy. When ya'll are too old and slow for FPS competitions, you won't need to start endorsing Mueslix and Viagra. Instead, prolong your glory days on the casual gaming circuit.

[In the image: champion Kavitha Yalavarthi, with her winnings and her fiance.]

Quick: guess the second-best selling game in the Vivendi game portfolio, after World of Warcraft.

If you guessed Ice Age 2, you're a freak (or you peeked). You're also clearly in touch with the ideas expressed by Vivendi's chief Jean-Bernard Lévy, who told investors last week that the company's working on a portfolio of games that are "capable of being played online or on a mobile phone on a train for 15 minutes," according to the International Herald Tribune.

It's refreshing to hear the head of a major games publisher talk about diversifying his product portfolio along the lines of game session length. For too long, companies have focused diversification efforts along genre lines, a rigid segmentation strategy that lacks relevance in this age of on-the-go entertainment via DAPs, mobile phones, DSs and PSPs.

[Image source]

Casual games site extraordinaire Jay is Games recently finished up its month-long game design competition, picking one winner and two runners-up out of 21 submitted puzzlers. The games lean towards the inscrutable, but they're all incredibly inventive and quick -- perfect for a Friday coffee break full of rampant clicking and trial-and-error logic.

Philips reported yesterday that their prototype touch-screen horizontal gaming environment (dubbed "Entertaible") is ready for "market testing" which, according to these high-resolution photos, looks like it might be a lot of fun. Features include:

• ability to be internet-enabled for multiplayer games and larger tournaments
• digital shape recognition (recognizes objects based on the shape of their footprint)
• tabletop senses multiple touches at once
• 32-inch horizontal LCD
• embedded sound
• ability to attract lots of goofy, toothy white people

If some of these were installed at the local pub, and if there were some good games on it, and if the social lubricant were flowing freely (that's a lot of ifs!), gaming might break from the basement to bars, and that'd be neat.

See also: Video games meet board games with the Entertaible

You'd think a company that gives away 700,000 game demos a day would be on the forefront of gamers' minds. Yet most hardcore gamers probably don't consider RealArcade when they think of major players in the industry.

Casual games site Gamezebo has an interview with RealNetworks Senior VP for Games Michael Schutzler where he talks about the future of the casual games. Among the more interesting points:

• Research shows casual game players use the games as an "essential part of their sanity management."
• RealNetworks has developed a super-secret model that can predict how well a new casual game will do in its first week.
• Schutzler says mobile games won't succeed until they are easier to share and have a real killer app.

The full interview has more details on RealArcade's plans for multiplayer, Xbox Live Arcade and in-game advertising.

Anyone interested in the success of online titles may do well to watch Cake Mania, a downloadable puzzle game set in a bakery. Developer eGames, Inc has partnered with Sandlot Games to bring this online game to retail outlets.

Apparently spurred on by its online popularity, the boxed version will feature new levels. Lars Batista of eGames claims that Cake Mania "strikes the perfect balance" between "fun and educational" -- however, we doubt running a bakery is much like the clean-cut cartoony world of this game.

We know that MMOs can be a little addictive. So do developers and publishers. That's why some of NCsoft's new offerings are at once a stroke of brilliance and absolutely terrifying. Aimed at new MMO players as well as existing ones, the PlayNC portal invites players to try its games by putting them at an irresistible price -- $0.

The money, of course, lies in areas like micropayments -- while a great portion of each game is free, features like new items or character slots will come at a price. Some games may only offer lower-level gameplay for free, meaning that players are enticed into purchasing the game once they have become invested in a character. Two games from the PlayNC portal were playable at E3: Dungeon Runners and Exteel.

Microsoft had a little trouble getting the sound working on their Lumines kiosk, but once they got it up and running, I was immediatley struck not by the gameplay, which is familiar to anyone who played thisTetris-like game on the PSP, but by the Madonna video blaring in the background. That's because skin support for the Xbox Live Arcade version  includes the ability to run videos behind the puzzle grid. Interestingly, Microsoft told me they have yet to make a decision as whether we'll be able to use any content for this feature, or if it will only work with specific videos downloaded off XBLM. I'm guessing the latter, because positioning little squares with anime porn running in the background would just be too distracting. Lumines hits XBLA around the holidays.

Mobile gaming research firm M:Metrics has published data showing March 2006 from a mobile gamer's perspective. The firm claims that the mobile market is stagnating; the number of mobile gamers is remaining constant month-on-month with only a tiny fraction of mobile phone users (0.5%) downloading their first game in March.

The percentage of phone users who use their handset for downloadable games is low, with the UK standing at 4.7% and the US at 2.7%. Given the millions of mobile phones in the market, that still represents a large number of consumers, many of whom are repeat customers. However, a lack of compelling reasons to buy new titles -- as well as high prices -- are putting consumers off. After all, already-downloaded and preinstalled games fit the interstitial nature of mobile gaming just as well as brand new releases.