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Talking heads: PlayFirst makes play for Big Head Mode

Picks up IP, portfolio, and studio founders

Talking heads: PlayFirst makes play for Big Head Mode
Casual games publisher PlayFirst is to acquire the intellectual property and games library of mobile app outfit Big Head Mode, the two companies have revealed.

Touting the developer's work 'pioneering mobile technologies' – the San Francisco studio having focused on utilising 'personalisation layer technology' to enable gamers to plant the faces of their friends in play – PlayFirst is also set to benefit from the experience of Big Head Mode's founders.

Both Tipatat Chennavasin and Richard Au are to take up roles at PlayFirst – director of product management and senior director of engineering respectively – in order to help the publisher "continue to build leadership and momentum in mobile gaming."

Lets get personal

"Tipatat and Richard, with their other co-founders at Big Head Mode, have created outstanding technology that helps meld together social graph attributes with mobile apps," said PlayFirst president and CEO Marco DeMiroz.

"As we move forward together, we will work on integrating these approaches across the mobile game portfolio at PlayFirst."


Big Head Mode's Douche Defender

There's no word on just how Big Head Mode's technology will be implemented in PlayFirst's portfolio, but for former studio CEO Chennavasin, the deal represents a move by PlayFirst to take game personalisation more seriously.

"Mobile games can be even more fun and engaging when they take on personalised, social attributes," said Chennavasin.

"We are thrilled to join up with PlayFirst to bring these new approaches to the mass, global audiences that love to play PlayFirst games."

With a fine eye for detail, Keith Andrew is fuelled by strong coffee, Kylie Minogue and the shapely curve of a san serif font.