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Warframe studio Digital Extremes partners with Perfect World
Back in July there were rumblings that Digital Extremes, the studio behind Warframe, would soon be added to the lineup of Perfect World's studios. After three months of negotiations, the deal has finally gone through, with Perfect World Online Holding and Sumpo Food Holdings Limited together acquiring a majority share in the company. The deal also includes giving Perfect World exclusive rights to publishing Warframe in mainland China. A post on the official forums is meant to assuage any player fears or concerns, stressing that the functional changes for players will be limited; the same people are in charge of the game's development as before. What it will mean, chiefly, is that the studio has more money to spend on updates and improvements to the game. Whether or not more of the game will change over time remains to be seen, but the current statement is a definite no. [Thanks to Revrent for the tip!]
Perfect World Entertainment buys Digital Extremes
Perfect World Entertainment is adding another studio to its cap. Digital Extremes Ltd., the studio behind Warframe, is having all of its outstanding shares purchased by PWE in cooperation with Sumpo Food Holdings Limited. This agreement is non-binding and was first announced on June 30th, although nothing has come up since to indicate any sort of a change or reversal. Players have taken to the forums voicing a certain amount of displeasure with the deal, with several comparisons to PWE's acquisition of Cryptic Studios when it was sold by Atari. As it stands, no official statement beyond the business dealings has been made by the studio. [Thanks to Clinton for the tip!]
Activision Blizzard facing lawsuit from shareholder over going independent
Last week's announcement of Activision Blizzard separating from Vivendi might have made you unhappy, but it didn't make you as unhappy as Todd Miller. He's filed suit against Activision, the board of directors at Activision, and former parent company Vivendi on counts of unnecessary waste, breach of fiduciary duties, and unjust enrichment. Miller stresses that the sale nets an immediate windfall for CEO Bobby Kotick and entrenches him in a position of power within the company while failing to provide any benefit to the company as a whole or the individual shareholders. He also claims that the Activision board members are conflicted due to their previous positions within Vivendi and have no reason to resist this move, resulting in a net detriment for holders of the company's stock. Miller is calling for the purchase order to be rescinded and for Activision to institute controls so that this situation is not repeated in the future.
Playdom acquires Acclaim Games
If there was any doubt that the world of Facebook social games and traditional MMOs are becoming further intertwined, this should hopefully silence it. Playdom, well-known as one of the three major powers in Facebook gaming (alongside Zynga and Playfish), has acquired Acclaim Games, owner of several free-to-play MMOs including Chronicles of Spellborn, 9Dragons, and 2Moons. Unfortunately for the business mavens in the audience, the exact details of the acquisition including price were not disclosed. In terms of management, there's going to be little changing on the ground for Acclaim Games, as previous CEO Howard Marks will continue to run the studio for Playdom. Playdom itself has been purchasing several smaller developers and studios, especially those focusing on Facebook development. No word on whether this will affect management of any of Acclaim's existing games, although it seems unlikely given the circumstances. What is certain is that it's another installment in the distance between social gaming and MMOs being shortened. [ Thanks to Animagnum for the tip! ]
