Vivendi
Games
Acquires Top
Latin
American
Game
Developer
Wanako Games
Developer of
Award-Winning
Assault
Heroes
Further
Strengthens
Sierra
Online's
Internal
Development
Capabilities
for Casual
Online Games
LOS ANGELES
- Feb. 20,
2007 -
Vivendi
Games today
announced
the
acquisition
of Wanako
Games, based
in Santiago,
Chile.
Wanako is
the largest
game
development
studio in
Latin
America.
Financial
terms of the
transaction
were not
disclosed.
The
acquisition
underscores
the
commitment
by Vivendi
Games'
Sierra
Online
division to
enhance its
internal
product
development
capabilities
in the fast
growing
console
download
online games
space.
Sierra
Online will
bring to
life several
of Wanako's
innovative,
original
concepts and
will retain
and grow its
talented
team of
developers.
Sierra
Online
teamed up
with Wanako
Games on the
development
of the
action-packed
Xbox Live®
Arcade
title,
Assault
Heroes(TM),
released in
December
2006.
Assault
Heroes was
awarded Xbox
Live Arcade
Game of the
Year by
IGN.com, the
web's number
one
videogame
information
site. Next
up, Wanako
Games will
bring their
artistic
expertise to
the upcoming
Xbox Live
Arcade game,
3-D Ultra
Minigolf
Adventures.
"Wanako
exudes the
commitment
to quality
and a
passion for
developing
great games
that we
ourselves
strongly
believe in,"
said Ed
Zobrist,
president,
Sierra
Online.
"The studio
has an
extensive
offering of
valuable
tools and
technologies
that can be
leveraged
across all
of Sierra
Online's
development
studios. The
combination
of Wanako's
development
experience,
creativity
and
technical
capabilities
will
contribute
greatly to
our presence
as a leading
publisher of
console
download
online
games."
"We are very
excited to
join a
visionary
group like
Sierra
Online who
is focused
on bringing
truly
entertaining
and
innovative
online games
to a mass
market,"
said Esteban
Sosnik,
founder and
former CEO
of Wanako
Games. "In
working with
Sierra
Online on
Assault
Heroes it
quickly
became clear
that our
companies
shared the
same core
values in
game
development
and by
joining
together we
could
develop and
deliver
amazing
products."
Sosnik will
become head
of Sierra
Online Latin
America and
assume a
broader role
responsible
for Sierra
Online's
business
initiatives
in Latin
America.
"The entire
development
team is
incredibly
excited to
join forces
with Sierra
Online to
lead the
industry in
the casual
online games
space," said
Tiburcio de
la Cárcova,
development
manager and
creative
director of
Wanako
Games.
Tiburcio
will
continue to
manage and
grow the
studio in
Santiago.
Wanako is
currently
developing a
number of
other
unannounced
Sierra
Online
titles.
About Sierra
Online
Sierra
Online, a
division of
Vivendi
Games,
creates and
publishes
quality
short- and
mid-session,
casual
online games
for all
viable
gaming
platforms.
Sierra
Online's
titles
include
Assault
Heroes(TM),
an
award-winning
game for
Xbox® Live
Arcade, and
the upcoming
FreeStyle
Street
Basketball(TM),
an online PC
game from
leading
Korean
developer JC
Entertainment,
Inc. The
division is
also
developing a
variety of
other Xbox
Live Arcade
and PC
online games
targeting
the
mass-market
audience.
Sierra
Online runs
a global
business
with
headquarters
in Los
Angeles,
California,
a regional
European
office in
Frankfurt,
Germany; a
regional
Asia Pacific
office in
Shanghai,
China; and
internal
development
studios in
Seattle,
Washington;
Shanghai,
China; and
Santiago,
Chile.