North American sales tracker and analyst firm NPD has confirmed the acquisition of mobile internet and digital entertainment analyst In-Stat. In-Stat will keep its name but now directly report to NPD’s Tim Bush. The move is simply the latest in a long line of buyouts that looks to position NPD …
Read More »Zynga picks up Floodgate team
Staff of casual, mobile and PC studio to join Zynga Boston
Read More »Disney acquires new studio
Disney is taking its evolution from a boxed product publisher into a digital games firm very seriously; it’s just snapped up a Finnish start-up focused on HTML5 games. The entertainment giant has bought Helsinki-based Rocket Pack, a start-up which grabbed headlines for its work on a ‘Google Docs for games’ …
Read More »Future eyeing BBC swoop?
Future Publishing is seriously considering making a bid for the BBC Magazine portfolio, which includes the likes of Radio Times and Top Gear. That’s according to The Guardian, which claims that the Bath-based company "has been actively involved in the sales process surrounding BBC Magazines" though understands that the final …
Read More »Eurogamer acquires Hammersuit
It has been confirmed that Rupert Loman’s Eurogamer Network has acquired US publisher Hammersuit. The deal means that both IndustryGamers.com and Modojo.com will now both fall under the Eurogamer banner. The agreement also means that Hammersuit will take charge of representing Eurogamer brands such as VG247, RockPaperShotgun and GamesIndustry in …
Read More »Take-Two shares hit two year high
Shares in US publisher Take-Two have reached their highest point for 29 months in the wake of solid quarterly results and rumours of a possible acquisition. At the close of play last night Take-Two shares hit the $16 mark. At the end of January that price stood at just $12.48. …
Read More »Activision eyeing Take-Two swoop?
An eventful week for Activision rolls on: rumours are circulating at the highest level that the company is eyeing a shock acquisition of rival Take-Two. If true, and if successful, the bid would bring blockbuster brands and hit studios under one roof – Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto, …
Read More »APB acquisition rumoured
Online games developer and publisher K2 has acquired the APB IP from the administrator of collapsed Dundee studio Realtime Worlds, inside sources have told Develop. California based K2 Network, a heavily VC-funded company responsible for the free-to-play service GamersFirst, has reportedly spent in the region of 1.5 million for the …
Read More »The Hut broadens female reach
The Hut Group has announced it has acquired online health and beauty specialist, the Lookfantastic Group. The acquisition cost 19.4m and will see Lookfantastic’s online stores such as lookfantastic.com, lookmantastic.com and beautysleuth.co.uk integrated into The Hut’s extensive portfolio. As such, the 1m+ predominantly female customer base that Lookfantastic has established …
Read More »Activision tried to buy Rare
Ed fries, the man central to Microsoft’s record-breaking $375 million acquisition of Rare, revealed to Develop that Bobby Kotick’s Activision made an princely offer for the GoldenEye studio – one that Rare was eager to sign. There was a bit of a bidding war between us [Microsoft] and Activision – …
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