EA buys out Angry Birds publisher Chillingo
updated 04:50 pm EDT, Wed October 20, 2010
iOS gaming industry consolidates
Major PC and console games publisher Electronic Arts has bought out Chillingo, according to the LA Times. Although the deal is said to have cost less than $20 million in cash, Chillingo is a significant publisher of iPhone and iPad games. Two titles in its library -- Cut the Rope and Angry Birds -- are currently leading in the App Store's paid charts. The company is also responsible for distributing occasional movie/TV show tie-ins, like Predators and Numb3rs.
The acquisition may point to a trend of growing consolidation and hegemony in iOS gaming. A Japanese company, DeNA, recently bought We Rule developer ngmoco in a deal worth at least $303 million. EA is already influential in the iOS world by way of EA Mobile, which publishes high-profile games like Boggle, Scrabble and Need for Speed: Shift.
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Mar 2010
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Hmm, developer of number 1 top-selling iPhone game gets bought out by a company that's developing a reputation for driving promising game properties into the ground (see http://daringfireball.net/linked/2010/10/18/warhammer for example). I'm not sure whether to turn away or make popcorn.