"Angry Birds" grabbed some attention and ton of downloads when it launched for free on Android phones a few days ago. EA Mobile claims to have had iPhones and iPads in mind, however, when Electronic Arts finalized a deal to buy the game's publisher Chillingo. Rumors began circulating ahead of EA's official confirmation that a deal took place, but a representative acknowledged that the acquisition has been made.
"By acquiring Chillingo, EA Mobile is increasing its market leadership on the Apple Platform as well as reaffirming its position as the world's leading wireless entertainment publisher," EA said in a statement, according to a Los Angeles Times report. "This acquisition will combine Chillingo's expertise in cultivating the ideas of independent developers with EA’s global mobile publishing reach."
The deal reportedly went down for under $20 million, though EA did not confirm that amount. "Angry Birds" developer Rovio was not acquired in the deal, but EA surely hopes that they'll be able to add to their trophy case of top-selling App Store games following this transaction, in addition to keeping their competition in check.
Chillingo also has ZeptoLab's "Cut the Rope" in its publishing stable, where it generated more than a million paid downloads during its first seven days on the market. If EA gets a few more games like that out of the Manchester-based publisher, they ought to make their money back really fast.
Are you surprised to see EA's interest in Chillingo? Do you think they got a good deal out of the purchase? Share your opinions with us in the comment section below.