LONDON-The scramble to find allies continued in the mobile gaming arena with two new partnerships and an acquisition.
Tiger Telematics, the U.S.-based producer of the Gizmondo mobile gaming console that launched in Europe recently, announced it will acquire British developer Warthog for $8 million in cash and Tiger stock. Tiger will acquire all the subsidiaries of Warthog, which was founded in 1997 by former Electronic Arts employees.
Warthog has 12 games in development for the Gizmondo, and the move is seen as a way for Tiger to quickly build a portfolio of titles for its device. The Gizmondo is expected to launch in North America early next year.
In addition, Mobile gaming company m-connected has teamed with m-commerce firm MoreMagic Solutions to provide a way for gamblers to use their phones as mobile wallets. The service allows gamblers to play mobile betting games on their handsets without using credit or debit cards for payment.
Finally, The National Basketball Association teamed with publishers THQ Inc. and Jamdat Mobile on a package of mobile games and sports news programs unveiled Tuesday. NBA Unwired includes a fantasy basketball application, an updated score offering, and ringtones featuring the voices of stars Chris Webber and Jermaine O’Neal.
Nokia will offer NBA video highlights for enabled phones, and Jamdat plans to offer two mobile video games as part of the package.
