Planning to target operators with prize-play mobile games.
UK mobile games publisher Connect2Media has announced that it's acquiring US firm Sennari, which is best-known for its play-for-prizes games.
It's the first time Connect2Media has had a US presence, with Sennari founder Mike Cartabiano set to head up its distribution business on that side of the Atlantic.
The publisher plans to roll Sennari's PrizePlay platform into its roster of games. So far, the platform is being used by one US operator, Verizon Wireless.
"We anticipate that the PrizePlay platform will be a crucial tool in developing new models based around advertising, community and rewards, delivering new ways to help our operator customers engage and retain users," says Connect2Media CEO Eric Hobson.
As the announcement of the deal makes clear, the acquisition co-incides with Apple's new rules allowing play-for-prizes games on iPhone for the first time.
Article continues belowAdvertisement
With that in mind, we're expecting to see Sennari's technology used for some iPhone games from Connect2Media in the coming months.
Another intriguing aspect to the deal is that it will bring Connect2Media into direct competition with its former parent company Hands-On Mobile for the first time.
That said, Hands-On appears to be focusing less on mobile games at the moment, having lost its lucrative Guitar Hero licence to Glu Mobile.
