Sega boosts mobile division with Demiurge Studios acquisition

In an effort to improve its mobile presence in the West, Sega Networks has acquired indie dev Demiurge Studios.
Founded in 2002, the Massachusetts studio is best known for current App Store hit Marvel Puzzle Quest. Prior to its transition to mobile gaming in 2008, Demiurge also worked with BioWare and Irrational Games on triple-A and PC games.
Demiurge CEO Albert Reed joins Sega Networks as VP of product management, while still retaining his role of studio head. The studio will keep its names.
"Demiurge and Sega share a vision for the future of mobile gaming: putting gamers first," said Reed. "In today’s mobile games, you must listen to your players and find new ways to keep them engaged. Our success with Marvel Puzzle Quest comes from our focus on iterative design and testng, with our players in mind.
"Joining Sega Networks lets us align with a truly global partner that shares our approach to design, so together we can create the kinds of entertaining, fun and engaging games we all want to make."
Sega has also made a majority investment in San Francisco-based mobile dev Ignited Artists, currently developing its debut title, and taken a minority stake in Space Ape Games, the UK studio behind Samurai Siege. As part of this partnership, select Space Ape titles will be released in the Japanese market through Sega, including the upcoming Rival Kingdoms.
Haruki Satomi, CEO of Sega Networks, said: "We’re constantly evaluating the independent mobile game space for studios that fit our vision of fun, high-quality gameplay experiences. Demiurge underscores our commitment to investing in the West and complements our current roster of US and European mobile studios, including Three Rings and Hardlight.
"In addition, our strategic investments in Ignited Artists and Space Ape Games solidifies our commitment to publishing quality games across the globe."

Earlier this month, Sega revealed that it would be cutting up to 300 jobs and focusing primarily on mobile and PC games going forward, despite the success of retail blockbuster Alien: Isolation.