Kabam establishes Los Angeles foothold with two acquisitions

Kabam has strengthened its US presence with the purchase of two development studios in Los Angeles.

The free-to-play firm has acquired Tapzen and Magic Pixel Games, and plans to combine the two to form a new Kabam office in the Culver City area, according to Gamasutra. The new branch is expected to focus on strategy games for mobile devices.

Meanwhile, Tapzen founder Mike Verdu will join Kabam in an executive capacity. The former EA and Zynga exec founded Tapzen in 2012. His studio worked with Magic Pixel on mobile strategy title This Means War.

"Having a Los Angeles studio will strengthen Kabam’s already-deep relationships with our Hollywood partners," said Kabam CEO Kevin Chou.

Some of Kabam’s biggest hits have been based on Hollywood properties, including Fast & Furious and The Hobbit.