Ubisoft Acquires Future Games of London in Push for Mobile

Mobile games are changing minds and markets across the entire video gaming sector; some reports suggest that even Sony itself is starting to change its way of thinking when it comes to mobile gaming - bringing out mobile games that work with current releases and offer rewards for play. Developers are taking this to heart as well, Ubisoft just made an acquisition in the field, picking up Future Games of London, a company with a sound history of releases.

Future Games of London got its start back in 2009, and since then has generated titles with sufficient interest to account for over 100 million downloads—in four years, that's no mean feat—and is carrying on strong, at last report. That kind of performance likely caught Ubisoft's attention, who itself was looking to make more of a name in the mobile space, especially in light of recent reports that suggest browser games are starting to edge out console titles in terms of more frequent play.

The reports indicate that Future Games of London will largely continue as it has, from an operations standpoint, but now would allow Ubisoft access to Future Games of London's portfolio of titles, while also giving Future Games of London access to Ubisoft's expanded resources and improved marketing. Given that Ubisoft actually brought in a profit of over $800 million last year alone, that's a lot of room to work with, and likely some really potent marketing afoot.

There's even a brand new target here, as Future Games of London's product line is being pointed in the direction of the United States, where mobile is taking on a whole new importance in gaming. But it's not just the United States that will get the benefit, however, as further reports suggest that the Future Games of London line will also be working into other foreign markets as well, so infrastructure changes are also set to arrive to help bolster the line.

Indeed, mobile gaming is changing the face of gaming as a whole. With more and more mobile devices coming out, it's not too surprising to see gamers wanting to take advantage of said devices. But mobile devices offer a largely different experience from console games, in that console games generally offer a richer, fuller experience that takes a lot more time to fully enjoy, while mobile games offer a simpler, quicker experience that can be picked up and put down as time allows, bite-sized gaming on the run. This isn't always the case, of course—exceptions can be found in both console and mobile gaming—but for the most part, a quick game is on mobile, while a weekend-eater is found on console.

Ubisoft's connection to Future Games of London, meanwhile, should provide quite a bit of leverage into the mobile gaming market, and make Ubisoft as a whole a force to be reckoned with on both fronts. The overall success of this move remains to be seen, but there are clear advantages for both firms afoot here.