Japan?s GREE Acquires Another U.S. Studio, App Ant, To Build Games For Western Audiences

GREE, the $4.7 billion mobile gaming giant from Japan that's trying to break into Western markets, just bought another American studio to bolster its first-party game development. The company acquired App Ant Studios for an undisclosed amount after working with the company on Android games. App Ant was co-founded by Brian Frederick and Paul Pierre, an artist and a UX designer who had done stints at Andreessen Horowitz-backed TinyCo, Storm8 and EA. All members of the team, including the four co-founders, are joining GREE. The iOS version of the company's main game Dino Life was only previously published in Canada, which is a popular testing ground for game developers before they launch to a broader audience. It gives them the chance to refine and optimize a game and identify any early problems with retention.

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