Feature

Eidos buys Rockpool

Top games publisher Eidos Interactive has acquired Rockpool Games, one of Europe’s leading developers of games and content for mobiles.
The deal, which also covers Rockpool’s subsidiaries Ironstone Partners and SoGoPlay, gives Eidos Rockpool’s Manchester studios and 36 staff; Eidos is paying at least £1.2m, increasing to a maximum of £7.7m depending on performance through to 2010.

Rockpool’s best-known games are Worms, MotoGP and Ronnie O’Sullivan; Ironstone Partners is a licensing company while SoGoPlay develops and publishes casual web games.

Said Jane Cavanagh, Chief Executive, Eidos: “We believe that the global market for mobile games is set to grow considerably over the next few years from around $3bn in 2006 to $10bn in 2009, and that casual games are also becoming increasingly important. Rockpool’s breadth of activity … fits well with Eidos’ strategy to expand the company’s business in this direction.”