Oberon Media acquires I-play

Oberon Media is acquiring mobile publisher and developer I-play, with the company now holding significant interests in TV, online and mobile casual gaming.

The acquisition is expected to be complete in June. Oberon has also announced a new round of funding from investors including Goldman Sachs, Oak Investment Partners and Lehman Brothers.

"This acquisition strengthens Oberon Mediaâs multi-platform strategy and we are now positioned as the undisputed leader in one of the hottest growth markets - mass-market casual games," offered Tomer Ben-Kiki, CEO of Oberon Media.

"The acquisition bolsters the mobile arm of the industryâs first true casual-game triple play, complementing Oberon Mediaâs existing platform.

"We are now poised to revolutionise the casual games category, offering our partners access to more than a thousand of the most popular casual games, delivered to their consumersâ screen of choice: online, mobile and TV," he said.

Oberon now has global distribution partnerships with over 350 different companies including Microsoft, Sprint, AT&T, Yahoo, Electronic Arts and AOL.

"Oberon Media and I-play are a perfect strategic fit, sharing the same casual philosophy and consumer-centric approach to the games market," said David Gosen, I-play CEO.

"I-play brings some of the most successful game franchises on mobile, deep global distribution and powerful proprietary technology. Oberon Media's online distribution will propel the growth of mobile games by driving awareness and accessibility, while complementing and working in partnership with traditional on-deck distribution," said Gosen.

Titles in the Oberon portfolio include Agatha Christie: Death on the Nile, Dream Day Wedding and The Fast and the Furious — I-play's award-winning racing title that has seen over seven million downloads to date.