Playtech expands casual games division

Online gambling software provider Playtech plc has unveiled a comprehensive strategic plan to significantly increase its market share of the IP-based casual games market.

This initiative follows the completion of the acquisition of Funtactix, a publisher of film and television-based games which has built a reputation in Hollywood and with gamers for delivering authentic casual game experiences based on popular entertainment franchises including The Hunger Games, Mission: Impossible, Power Rangers and Rocky.

The completion of the acquisition forms a central pillar of Playtech’s long-term casual games strategy, according to a press statement issued Tuesday. This began with the creation of development studio Plamee in 2014 and continued with the acquisition of Game Maker: Studio developer, Yoyo Games, last year (see previous reports).

Funtactix was founded in 2006 and has led the rebirth of movie-based gaming across casual platforms. With the announcement and launch of the FTX Games publishing division last year, the company expanded its capabilities to publish multiple major games with the goal of uniting developers with entertainment properties.

Funtactix is comprised of industry veterans with experience of launching dozens of successful titles for many of the leading publishers in the games industry including Microsoft, Sony, Ubisoft, and LucasArts and big names in entertainment including MGM and WME.

As part of Playtech the Funtactix team will continue to facilitate partnerships with leading entertainment property owners as well as publish in-house and externally developed titles under the FTX Games publishing division. The team will remain focused on building FTX Games as a publisher of IP-based games, backed by Playtech’s internal game development resources.

Additional details of development projects as part of this collaboration will be forthcoming in future announcements linked to individual titles, the Playtech statement advises.

Shimon Akad, COO, Playtech, said: “The Playtech casual games division has a clear strategy and direction and we’re very confident it will continue to go from strength-to-strength.

“The acquisition of Funtactix, in addition to Plamee and YoYo Games, enables us to offer a complete suite of content and software to players, designers and third parties including some of the largest studios and brands in the world.”

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