Rovio Mobile Acquires 3D Mobile Engine Firm Pixelgene

Helsinki, Finland-based Rovio Mobile has announced the acquisition of mobile game developer and 3D technology company Pixelgene. In addition, Rovio appointed former Pixelgene founders Jani Kajala and Fernando Herrera as the company's new Chief Technology Officer and Chief Executive Officer respectively. ”Rovio has proven its ability to consistently deliver award-winning 2D mobile games and to distribute those games globally,” says Kaj Hed, Rovio's Chairman of the Board. ”The acquisition of Pixelgene gives Rovio the technology and the people to develop cutting-edge 3D titles for Java, BREW, and Symbian-enabled phones.” Pixelgene's proprietary game development platform was designed to support mobile 3D applications, and supports Java, BREW, and Symbian. ”Pixelgene's technology allows us to produce multi-platform games that run on Java, BREW, and Symbian handsets,” says Jani Kajala, Rovio's newly appointed CTO. ”Our partnerships with leading hardware manufacturers allows us to stay on the cutting edge in the field of 3D gaming. For instance, we are already capable of producing content for the upcoming 3D-hardware accelerated mobile phones.” Following the acquisition, the company now employs 50 people. Rovio's first titles to use Pixelgene's 3D technology are expected to be announced soon.