Merge Inn developer Original Games has acquired Mergedom from Turkiye-based Bigger Games, reports Mobilegamer.biz.
The deal is purely to acquire the game and no developers from Bigger Games will be taking new roles at Original Games. Original Games have not disclosed the value of the deal.
“We intend to build a strong portfolio of casual games, and Mergedom presented a logical strategic fit for us,” Original Games CEO Arseny Lebedev told Mobilegamer.biz. “With our experience in merge-two development, monetisation and growth to date, we can see a long roadmap and lifecycle for this title.”
“In the current market, there is definitely an opportunity to reduce risks with development and UA by acquiring games with established audiences and economic traction. Since the Merge genre is still relatively young compared to Match-3 and others, we see a stronger than usual crossover potential for players as well.”
“We are confident that Original Games will be a great home for Mergedom and its players,” said Bigger Games CEO Hakan Ulvan. “We believe that Original Games’ commitment to quality and innovation will be instrumental in further scaling Mergedom while we laser focus on building our new flagship match-3 title as Bigger Games.”
A growing genre
Although the merge genre has seen a danger of rapid expansion, Lebedev was quick to dismiss concerns that it’s one in danger of overheating.
“The category is super hot, but we’re still in the stage of educating established puzzle players that there are alternatives with approachable casual core gameplay with deeper mechanics and progression out there.”
“Overheating is a concern for the short-term thinkers, but like any free-to-play games as services, this is a marathon not a sprint. In other words we have a long term strategy with this genre specifically; we’re past the ‘trying it out’ approach that so many newcomers are using.”
Lebedev additionally stated that Original Games is still on the look for additional roll-up opportunities, allowing the company to solidify its place as one of the leading names in the merge genre.
Last month, reports emerged that Amazon have acquired the rights to the globally bestselling Tomb Raider franchise.
