Author: by Nich Maragos, Simon Carless

Rumors circulating that Jamdat, one of the most prominent mobile phone game publishers in the industry, may be set for acquisition by another company have sent the publisher's stock price up by 7% to $32.50. Jamdat's wide range of products, including the exclusive mobile phone license to Tetris, make it an attractive prospect for any buyer. The prime suspect for a purchaser in the rumors is Electronic Arts, which itself has a relatively subdued footing in the mobile game market compared to its console and PC game divisions. Its EA Mobile division has only recently been fast-tracked in terms of expansion, and such a move could be meant to strengthen the group's standing in the mobile games industry from the very beginning. Elizabeth Osur, an analyst at investment firm Smith Barney, wrote that she believed such a move was unlikely "based on the primarily licensed nature of Jamdat's assets." However, given that EA's major licensed portfolio, including Batman Begins and the upcoming Godfather game, and the enticing nature of Jamdat's long-term Tetris license, this may not necessarily be an impediment to a possible acquisition. However, when Dow Jones Newswires contacted Electronic Arts, its spokesperson refused to comment on what the company deemed "rumors", and similar rumors involving EA and mobile publisher Superscape have been similarly dismissed, so for now, the only movement on mobile company acquisitions is that of stock prices.