Hot social-gaming startup Zynga has acquired a Japanese game maker by the name of Unoh. The deal comes on the heels of Zynga scoring a $150 million investment from SoftBank, a Tokyo-based wireless
carrier that holds stakes in numerous Internet companies. Zynga and SoftBank also announced plans to co-develop and distribute games in Japan. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed,
but
VentureBeat reports the deal was worth about $30 million.
"They have a
great track record of producing innovative, successful games and are a perfect complement to the top-notch team we have already begun to assemble in Japan," Zynga founder and CEO Mark Pincus said of
Unoh in a statement. "The deal is part of Zynga's geographic diversification strategy and expansion into the Japanese market," writes VentureBeat. "Unoh will serve as the foundation of Zynga Japan's
mobile game business." Unoh founder and CEO Shintaro Yamada is expected to join Zynga Japan to lead its mobile game development efforts. The venture will maintain Unoh's existing games, adapt Zynga's
titles for the Japanese market, and develop new products.
Read the whole story at VentureBeat »