APRIL 15, 2008 • Ubisoft will acquire the mobile game development studio of Gameloft in Pune, India. The studio was launched in 2006 and has 120 developers, but Ubisoft intends to increase the staff to 200 within 12 months, and 500 in upcoming years.

Impact: Ubisoft sold its stake in Gameloft last year, but the company has always been interested in looking for developers on a global basis. Ubisoft was one of the first Western game companies to enter China when they established an office in Shanghai in 1996.  Ubisoft claims this acquisition will help them establish a presence in Asia, but we think it may be more about getting access to low cost development for portable platforms.