A year and a half since former CEO Trip Hawkins departed, former mobile gaming powerhouse Digital Chocolate has sold its 48-person strong Barcelona studio to Ubisoft.
The deal uncovered by TechCrunch will see the French publisher take charge of Digital Chocolate Spain's technology and brands, though it has no plans to acquire any of the firm's other assets outside of the country.
Candy crushed
The news comes after a period of downscaling at the company, with layoffs part and parcel of its restructuring efforts.
Speaking on the firm's decline at the time of his departure, Hawkins claimed Digital Chocolate's enthusiasm for Facebook meant the firm was in trouble when the social network began to cut back on "game spam".
"A change in viral is going to reduce your MAU, and a change in the return rate is going to reduce your DAU; if you reduce the DAU you're going to reduce revenue," said Hawkins back in May 2012.
"I do think Digital Chocolate's going to do a much better job; it already is doing a better job on the mobile side this year, but it's just late."
Little has been heard of Digital Chocolate officially since Hawkins' departure, though the company is without a major hit on smartphones to speak of, with its Facebook business also suffering decline.
[source: TechCrunch]
News
With a fine eye for detail, Keith Andrew is fuelled by strong coffee, Kylie Minogue and the shapely curve of a san serif font.
Top Stories
News
May 31st, 2024
Week in Views - Squad Busters goes global, broken app stores, and Hill Climb Racing gets the LEGO treatment
News
May 31st, 2024
Mobile Movers: All the latest appointments and job moves from around the industry
Events
Indie Game Fest & Indie Campus 2024 | Europe | May 31st |
Indie Craft K-Game Festival 2024 | Europe | May 31st |
BostonFig Online 2024 | Jun 1st | |
GameSummit Summer 2024 | Jun 1st | |
Gotland Game Conference 2024 | Nordic | Jun 3rd |
Games Mental Health Summit 2024 | Europe | Jun 3rd |
Dev Play Conference 2024 | Europe | Jun 3rd |
Tribeca Games Festival 2024 | North America | Jun 5th |