Game publisher Activision Inc. on Wednesday announced it has acquired Beenox Inc., a game developer based in Quebec, Canada. Beenox is best known to Mac gamers as a developer of Mac game conversions — a frequent collaborator with Aspyr Media Inc. that has also worked with MacSoft and THQ.
Under the terms of the agreement Beenox has become a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision. Beenox will retain its management team and key employees and will remain in Quebec City.
It’s a time of transition in the video game industry as major publishers like Activision refocus their efforts from current video game console systems to the next-generation systems currently in development by Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo.
Beenox has some unique experience in this regard, working with Mac game companies and others to convert games from one platform to another. Beenox is also a licensed developer for Xbox, GameCube and PlayStation 2. It’s Beenox’s experience as a conversion developer that led to Activision’s interest, according to Activision Publishing president Kathy Vrabek.
“Beenox’s extensive porting background will be a key component of our console transition strategy by allowing us to focus our resources on next-generation technologies while continuing to develop games for current-generation systems,” said Vrabek in a statement.
“Quebec’s expanding innovative talent pool will provide Activision with future growth opportunities,” she added. In recent years, Quebec has become a hotbed of original video and computer game development, attracting major players like Electronic Arts and Ubisoft, which have set up large studios in the area.
It remains to be seen Beenox’s acquisition by Activision will affect its future Mac game development plans. The company is currently winding down development of a Mac version of Star Wars: Battlefront, due out in June from Aspyr Media Inc. Beenox is also handling Mac conversion work of Myst V: End of Ages, coming this fall from Ubisoft. Beenox has also noted two other unidentified porting projects that involve Mac versions.
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