MARCH 29, 2012 ● Free-to-play publisher of hardcore social games Kabam announced it acquired Emeryville, Calif.-based 3D social game developer Gravity Bear, creator of the role-playing combat game, Battle Punks.
Impact: There is growing focus on bringing hardcore gamers into Facebook games which traditional have appealed to a different audience. At E3, DFC Intelligence will be presenting results of some surveys of hard-core gamers and their reaction to Facebook and browser games in general. In addition, we are closely looking at how core gamers are reacting to the free-to-play business market in general. Unlike, in Asia and other parts of the world core gamers have been much slower accepting F2P games in the U.S. There is a question of whether that is lack of quality content or just an unwillingness to accept the model in general. Kabam and its investors are placing a big bet that it is the former.
