Ritual to talk MumboJumbo

Dallas, Texas-based company MumboJumbo has bought Ritual Entertainment, the studio that developed the SiN franchise. The deal took place for an undisclosed sum, and it's a move that MumboJumbo believes will strengthen the company's presence in the casual games industry.

Ritual Entertainment was founded in 1996, also in Dallas, Texas, and was formerly known as Hipnotic Interactive. The company has worked by "contribution or development" on a range of titles, including the SiN Episodes series, 25 to Life, Painkiller, and Quake 4. It currently has more than 30 employees.

MumboJumbo was formed in 2001 by Ron Dimant, who left his post as chief executive officer of Ritual to start up the company. It describes itself as a "publisher, developer, and mass marketer of premium casual games," and produced games, including Luxor 2, Snowball Run, and 7 Wonders of the Ancient World. It already owns and operates three studios in North America.

In October, MumboJumbo announced plans to bring its top game franchises to the PlayStation Portable, and Luxor: Wrath of Set and Platypus were released on the handheld in mid-November. On November 28, the company announced that it would be branching out into Europe and created a new division to focus on the European market.

Dimant believes that the two companies will work well together. He commented, "The casual games market is beginning to mature as evidenced by an increase in consumer expectations. Ultimately, the companies providing the best content will win, which is why we are investing so heavily in the development of technology and original IP."