New York-based casual game and advergame provider Arkadium has acquired Gamelab.com, the former Web domain of the company best known for creating casual game hits including Miss Management, Jojo’s Fashion Show, Shopmania, and the original Diner Dash.
New York-based casual game and advergame provider Arkadium has acquired Gamelab.com, the former Web domain of the company best known for creating casual game hits including Miss Management, Jojo’s Fashion Show, Shopmania, and the original Diner Dash.
Gamelab founder Eric Zimmerman clarified in a brief statement to Gamezebo that Gamelab’s sale to Arkadium consisted only of the domain name Gamelab.com and no other company assets.
Since the acquisition, visitors to Gamelab.com are now redirected to Arkadium’s website. Players who want to download Gamelab games can still find them for sale on various online casual game portals, such as iWin, Big Fish Games, PlayFirst, Reflexive and MSN Games.
Gamelab closed its physical offices in May and laid off close to half of its 25 workers in October, 2008, according to a Gamasutra report, which also said that the company was still working on a multiplayer game for kids called Gamestar Mechanic, which was being funded by a grant from the MacArthur Foundation.
Although Zimmerman told Gamezebo that he is not currently working for or with Arkadium on a full-time basis, Arkadium also announced that it will be sponsoring a series of workshops called "The Game Development Design Series" in partnership with Zimmerman. The workshops will cover game design best practices, tips and tricks. Â Anticipated to begin in the first quarter of 2010, the Design Series will be free to New York area game developers.
