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Saban Brands buys Zombie Farm developer The Playforge for its transmedia potential

Terms not disclosed

Saban Brands buys Zombie Farm developer The Playforge for its transmedia potential
The social-mobile acquisition merry-go-round continues to spin with the news that Zombie Farm studio The Playforge has been acquired.

Terms haven't been announced, but the purchaser is Saban Brands, a subsidiary of Saban Capital Group.

It acquires transmedia IPs and brands to build up and expand their potential. Examples in its portfolio include Power Rangers and fashion brand Paul Frank.

The goal is to extend current and future games from The Playforge for licensing, merchandising and media opportunities

In on the ground floor

"Mobile is becoming the default medium for entertainment, and games are the future of social engagement. The Playforge has a demonstrated record of creating sustainable, high quality mobile social games," said Dan Silberberger, Saban's VP of Digital.

"This acquisition allows us to take a leadership position in the space, combine our brand expertise with the development capabilities of The Playforge, and further expand our reach to wherever consumers want - from mobile to online to television. We're excited to see the new developments that result from this exciting partnership."

As it ever was

In terms of day-to-day operations, the 25-strong developer will continue in San Mateo, lead by husband and wife team Vince McDonnell and Susan Salvador, and releasing games under The Playforge brand.

The Zombie Farm games have been downloaded over 37 million times, with the original release being the top grossing free-to-play iOS game during 2010.

Three further games will be launched in 2012.

"By partnering with Saban Brands, we're able to take our products to new heights where they can be enjoyed and experienced by a much broader audience through licensing, merchandising and media opportunities, areas that are tremendously exciting to us." said McDonnell.
Contributing Editor

A Pocket Gamer co-founder, Jon is Contributing Editor at PG.biz which means he acts like a slightly confused uncle who's forgotten where he's left his glasses. As well as letters and cameras, he likes imaginary numbers and legumes.