Cerberus Interactive, the mobile studio behind location-based title Atlas Empires, has purchased marketplace platform Tastebud for an undisclosed fee.
As reported by the Austin American-Statesman (via MSN), Tastebud is a marketplace pricing platform that lets real-world businesses dish out deals that can be adjusted on the fly, without the need for coupons or codes.
Cerberus, which has previously talked up its "marketing first" approach to game design, plans to use the platform in Atlas Empires to reward players with in-game items when they make real-world purchases.
"This is a big win for mobile gamers and brick and mortar merchants alike," commented Tastbud chief exec, Marcelo Vieira. "Players will be able to get game resources through real world transactions and merchants get increased on-premise transactions. The integration with Cerberus allows us to scale much faster and beyond the restaurant vertical."
As a result of the deal, Tastebud's platform and app will be discontinued in their current forms, and Vieira will join Cerberus as an advisor.