Hybride Technologies Acquired by Ubisoft

Ubisoft, the french games publisher/developer has acquired canadian based visual effects studio; Hybride Technologies. Hybride Technologies’s portfolio includes blockbuster movies like 300, Sin City. Hybride is notable for giving movies almost a video game look by using unique visuals. Ubisoft plans to use Hybride’s technology in their games. Ubisoft did not disclose the amount of the buyout.

Press Release:
Today Ubisoft announced the acquisition of Hybride Technologies, a Montreal-based studio renowned for its expertise in the creation of visual effects for cinema, television and advertising.

Created over 15 years ago, Hybride employs 80 team members. The studio’s many projects include such innovative films as 300, Frank Miller’s Sin City and the Spy Kids series. Read more

FTC May Save Take-Two From Getting Acquired by EA

According to Justin Blankenship, An ex-FTC Lawyer, EA and Take-Two merger could be stopped by FTC due to anti-trust laws. Blankenship sent a formal post to Newsweek, here’s a snippet:

Until 2004, I worked in a division of the FTC that spent a lot of time looking at technology-related mergers, and had at least taken a good look at mergers like this one. I also have every reason to suspect that my former colleagues would give this deal a hard look, especially in light of Mr. Pachter’s comments, of which I’m sure they’re aware.

If a government agency has problems with a merger, it’s likely because it believes the economic data supports a narrowly defined market (e.g., licensed professional hockey videogames or hockey videogames). The parties to the merger will argue to define the market more broadly (e.g., videogames as a whole, or sports videogames as a whole). Under a broad market definition of all videogames, the merger poses no problems, because the loss of one product in a market of thousands of competitors is a ripple in the sea. However, under a narrow market definition, no other third party can make a licensed professional hockey game (with real player names, team names, stats, etc.) other than EA/Take-Two, granting it an effective monopoly.

Read-up the full post here.