In a press release issued today, Kabam, who described themselves as “a leading developer of free-to-play hardcore social games” (wait, is that an actual term now?), announced that they have acquired the social game developer Gravity Bear, their combat role-playing game Battle Punks, and everything in-between. Thus, the trend of larger social game developers consuming smaller ones continues unabated.
In a press release issued today, Kabam, who described themselves as “a leading developer of free-to-play hardcore social games” (wait, is that an actual term now?), announced that they have acquired the social game developer Gravity Bear, their combat role-playing game Battle Punks, and everything in-between. Thus, the trend of larger social game developers consuming smaller ones continues unabated.
As this game of corporate Highlander continues, Kabam states that the Gravity Bear team will now begin work on a new title set in the Battle Punks universe. The as-yet unnamed action-MMO is welcomed by Gravity Bear’s new overlords, as it will purportedly bring a fresh genre to the company’s portfolio and allow them “to expand beyond its traditional strength in strategy games and reach a broader range of core FTP gamers.”
The new Battle Punks title has been in development for a year, and Kabam says it will deliver a faster-loading game with new features and the ability to play on PCs and Macs without the need for a plugin. There, players will take their custom-created avatars into combat against thousands of others (such is the hope, anyway) in a battle to prove who is the toughest fighter in the land.
Sort of like the whole gaming industry, we suppose.
Naturally, Kabam President Andrew Sheppard speaks highly of his new acquisition, stating that “with their terrific track record in developing high quality, engaging games for core gamers, Phil and the Gravity Bear team make an outstanding addition to Kabam and our strong lineup of games.” He then goes on to verbally add his chocolate to their peanut butter, noting that “The original Battle Punks was already a fun, immersive game. We look forward to taking the game to a new level with Stage 3D and building this title into a very large franchise, much like we did with Dragons of Atlantis.”
Phil Shenk, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Gravity Bear, is also happy with the deal. After holding key roles at Origin, Blizzard North (Diablo II), Flagship Studios (Hellgate: London and Mythos), and Wild Tangent (he really gets around), he said “It’s great to be part of a company that has a clear vision for taking FTP games to the next level along with the state of the art technology, distribution, and analytics required to successfully scale a game,” he stated. “We will benefit from Kabam’s outstanding capabilities and resources, and their focus on creating immersive experiences and worlds for core gamers is a perfect fit for our team.”
As for the terms of the deal, no specifics were disclosed. We imagine there was probably money involved, perhaps followed by celebrating their agreement with the adding of chocolate to milk.
