Mobile advertising firm Maple Media announced Monday it acquired the intellectual property rights to San Francisco-based game developer Banana & Co.’s game portfolio.
Maple Media declined to disclose terms of the deal, which was finalized Dec. 3. The Century City-based ad outfit is backed by Westwood-based Shamrock Capital Advisors, which led Maple Media’s first fundraising effort totaling $30 million in 2016.
“The Banana & Co. team has developed a best in class portfolio of evergreen classic and casual games with a passionate and engaged player base. Their games fit well with Maple Media’s strategy to further grow and operate existing mobile apps by leveraging our extensive expertise in mobile app operations and advertising,” said Maple Media Chief Executive Michael Ritter.
Maple Media will now transition Banana & Co.’s various mobile games, including “Soduku,” “Checkers,” and “Hearts” into its growing portfolio, which includes “Minesweeper.” Maple Media also noted that it expects to add multiplayer capabilities to several of Banana & Co.’s games.
According to a statement from Maple Media, its apps on iOS and Android reach a combined 35 million users monthly. Among its executive board, it counts former veterans from gaming firms Jam City Inc. and Scopely Inc., as well as Alphabet Inc.’s Google.
“We’re pleased that the classic and casual mobile games we’ve developed over the past few years have found a home with Maple Media. I’m confident that our games will continue to grow and find new players given the breadth of expertise within Maple’s team,” said Yichel Chan, Banana & Co. co-founder.
Tech reporter Samson Amore can be reached at [email protected] or (323) 556-8335. Follow him on Twitter @samsonamore.