Posted at 11:39 a.m., Thursday, April 21, 2005
Jamdat buys Honolulu-based Blue Lava for $137 million
Advertiser Staff and News Services
Blue Lava Wireless, a Honolulu-based developer of games for wireless phones, is being acquired by Jamdat Mobile Inc. for $137 million.The deal gives Los Angeles-based Jamdat a 15-year worldwide license for the game Tetris on cell phones.
Jamdat will pay about $60 million in cash, 4.05 million shares of stock and a deferred payment of $13.7 million in Jamdat's choice of cash or stock.
Jamdat, which went public in September, competes with Electronic Arts Inc., THQ Inc., and Japan's Namco to develop games and programs for cell phones. Blue Lava, based in Honolulu, develops and publishes mobile games, including the Tetris games, Blue Blocks and Pinball Dragon.
Tetris, originally created in the former Soviet Union in 1985, is among the best selling mobile games worldwide.
"Jamdat's industry leading position and distribution muscle make it the perfect partner to bring the Tetris brand to wireless consumers around the world," said Blue Lava founder and chief executive, Henk Rogers.
Rogers will manage Jamdat's wireless Tetris franchise and join its board of directors. Jamdat said Blue Lava's employees and development team will maintain a studio in Honolulu.
