Archive for the ‘Companies & M&A’ Category

BBMF Purchases Japanese Distribution Channels and Atlus Co. Ltd. Increases Equity Investment in BBMF

September 29th, 2004 by Arjan Olsder Posted in Companies & M&A | No Comments »

BBMF Corporation announced today that it has signed two definitive agreements with Atlus Co. Ltd. (Jasdaq: 7866), a leading manufacturer of gaming software for platforms such as commercial arcade games and home gaming consoles.

Under a sale and license agreement, BBMF will purchase Atlus’ Japanese mobile distribution business for the aggregate purchase price of JPY 300,000,000 and has been granted an exclusive, 10-year worldwide license to use Atlus’ game contents, characters and the Atlus trademark, with the exception of certain mobile game contents, which license BBMF has received on a non-exclusive basis. Atlus will receive from BBMF a percent of revenue earned from game distribution. More …

THQ Wireless Brings Midway Arcade Classics to Mobile Phones

September 29th, 2004 by Arjan Olsder Posted in Companies & M&A, Games | No Comments »

The Best Games of The 80’s and 90’s Are Back … And This Time They Are Mobile!

THQ Wireless(TM) Inc. today announced that it has obtained a license from Midway(R) to bring seven of the best Midway arcade titles to mobile devices. All games and content are expected to be available through leading carriers worldwide.

From Mortal Kombat’s signature moves, to the flying action of Joust, to the outer space warfare of Defender, THQ Wireless is bringing Midway’s classic arcade hits to mobile users across the globe.

“Midway’s timeless arcade classics remain as fun and addictive as they were nearly 10 to 20 years ago — these hits will never go out of style,” said Tim Walsh, president of THQ Wireless. “It’s a testimony to technological advances that gameplay experiences that once stood six feet tall can now fit into gamer’s pockets.”

“Midway is excited to see THQ bring these classics to mobile phones,” said Steve Booth, vice president of licensing at Midway. “THQ has committed to develop content and graphics that have the same look, feel and sounds of the original arcade games; you can carry an entire arcade everywhere you go.” More …

Nokia APAC’s first developer for N-Gage QD

September 27th, 2004 by Arjan Olsder Posted in Companies & M&A, Games | No Comments »

SL Interactive Pte Ltd, a local game developer and publisher, is the first developer in Singapore and Nokia APAC to fully develop and have its title, Phantom Operations, exclusively showcased and embedded in Nokia’s N-Gage QD

Built using SL Interactive’s isometric turn-based combat engine, players are in command of a vampire, an exorcist and a dark angel in this gothic adventure. “Being handpicked by Nokia over other global leading companies to develop an N-Gage showcase goes to show that we have the necessary skill sets and competencies to match up to the industry’s big boys”, commented Fei Loo, general manager of SL Interactive. More …

JAMDAT: Dialing For Games

September 27th, 2004 by Arjan Olsder Posted in Companies & M&A | No Comments »

Cell phones have morphed into e-mail devices and cameras from mere purveyors of chit-chat. The next big thing will be wireless games, thanks to expanding high-speed digital networks.

This may seem as trivial as, well, online poker, golf, football and–believe it or not–bowling, but it’s big bucks. Jamdat Mobile appears ready to grab a significant chunk of the burgeoning market.

Jamdat develops games, images and other entertainment content for the latest generation of wireless phones with high-resolution color displays and increased processing power. Customers download the games and the fee appears on their monthly cell phone bill. The company splits the game fee with the wireless carrier. More …

Singapore eyes big slice of games pie

September 27th, 2004 by Arjan Olsder Posted in Companies & M&A | 1 Comment »

A Games Creation Community set up to develop and market made-in-Singapore games hopes to have 20 titles in 2 years

THE electronic gaming industry here looks set to take off in a big way, now that creators, financiers and distributors have been brought together to produce made-in- Singapore games for the world.

The establishment of the Games Creation Community (GCC) yesterday means that the creator of a commercially viable game will no longer be at a loss for where to turn to for financing or distribution.

Already, 12 game start-ups and 12 partners, including SingTel, StarHub, Pacific Internet and foreign players like Japan’s HI Corporation, are part of the network. Fortune Ventures, a venture capitalist firm, has also come on board as a financial partner, and it may be joined by others. More …

Overloaded Joins Forum Nokia PRO

September 19th, 2004 by Arjan Olsder Posted in Companies & M&A | No Comments »

Overloaded, announced that it has become a member of Forum Nokia PRO, a program that provides advanced technical, business development and marketing support to select mobile software companies. As a member of Forum Nokia PRO, Overloaded has the opportunity to further strengthen its relationship with Nokia, gain early access to Nokia technology and take advantage of specialized service and support provided by Nokia to help Overloaded stand out in the marketplace. More …

Overloaded partners with Playlogic to develop Xyanide for mobile phones

September 17th, 2004 by Arjan Olsder Posted in Companies & M&A, Games | No Comments »

Shooting in space… It’s all in the wrist action…

Overloaded the leading mobile games developer and distributor today announced in conjunction with Playlogic that they have developed the mobile phone version Playlogic’s Xbox game XYANIDE. Just like its bigger brother version, this too will be an exciting 3D Shoot-em-up.

Overloaded have used the Xbox as their template in the development of the mobile phone version, it also will run in real-time with outstanding 3D landscapes, that capture the essence of it’s bigger brother, although this will be 100% mobile. More …

Have mobile, will play

September 15th, 2004 by Arjan Olsder Posted in Companies & M&A | No Comments »

What is an Indian mobile games company doing in China? Ask Alok Kejariwal, the promoter of the online contest and promotions company, Contest2Win (C2W).

For, he insists that his company, Mobile2Win (M2W), the one-year-old offshoot of his dotcom venture, is not only present in China but doing pretty well for itself.

For starters, M2W bagged the opportunity to make embedded Java games for Siemens handsets last year. Around the same time, C2W also designed a promotion for the soft drinks brand Sprite which sponsored the Shanghai University fest in China. More …

Fathammer gets $5M investment for 3D engine

September 9th, 2004 by Arjan Olsder Posted in Companies & M&A | No Comments »

Venture-capital firm Nexit Ventures and 3i, a private-equity firm in Europe, said they have invested $4.8 million in mobile-gaming company Fathammer.

The company plans to use the funds to intensify sales and marketing efforts worldwide, particularly in Asia.

Fathammer’s flagship product, its X-Forge 2, is a game development system for creating three-dimensional mobile games. The company also offers a variety of mobile games.

JAMDAT could raise USD 54 million in IPO

September 8th, 2004 by Arjan Olsder Posted in Companies & M&A | No Comments »

JAMDAT Mobile Inc., which develops video games for cell phones, on Tuesday set its planned initial public offering at 5.3 million common shares for an estimated price of between $13 and $15 per share.

The Los Angeles-based company said in a U.S. regulatory filing that it plans to sell about 3.6 million shares and stockholders plan to sell another 1.7 million shares. More …