iPhone developer Firemint buys Infinite Interactive, makers of Puzzle Quest
Wow. Color me surprised on this one -- I've been joking around lately about iPhone company acquisitions and buyouts, but here are two companies that never occurred to me. Firemint, creators of the popular Flight Control and Real Racing 2 games on iOS, has outright purchased Infinite Interactive, the company behind a bevy of console and handheld console titles, including the very popular (and personal favorite of mine) Puzzle Quest series. Game designer Steve Fawkner founded Infinite Interactive and first met Firemint's Rob Murray in 2003, and according to the press release, he even got Murray's feedback on the first Puzzle Quest title. Fawkner will go to work for Firemint, presumably making his own games as well as helping to adapt Firemint's popular games for other platforms.
What a deal. All we have so far is the official press release (both companies are based in Australia, so this news arrived on their time), but we'll look at contacting Firemint later on this week to ask about the reasoning and timing behind the deal. Infinite Interactive isn't a huge company, but the fact that Firemint straight up acquired them is just as impressive as the possibilities for these two more and more experienced developers to be working together. This could have interesting consequences for Firemint's games both on and off of the iOS platform.
