Glu, HipSoft to Launch Real Estate Game on Mobile Phones

Glu Mobile (News - Alert) today signed a deal with HipSoft, a developer of casual games, to bring “Build-a-Lot” to mobile phones.

 

Glu has been awarded multi-year, exclusive rights to develop the game for the mobile platform and publish throughout North and Latin America, according to the companies.

 

Build-a-Lot allows players to tackle the housing market by renovating and selling houses in a variety of neighborhoods. The game will be coming to mobile phones in early 2009, company officials say.

 

Ssaying it was one of 2007’s most critically and commercially successful online casual games, Jill Braff, senior vice president of global publishing, Glu, expressed her company’s excitement to build upon the online title’s success.

 

Glu brings a world-class development organization, strong marketing team and deep carrier relationships to the partnership, said Braff, who added that her company looks forward to working with HipSoft’s creative team to replicate the “Build-a-lot” online hit on mobile.

 

Brian Goble, co-founder of HipSoft, said that Glu is a natural partner for them to bring one of their most highly successful games to the mobile phone. He said that Build-a-lot is a strategy game requiring a unique interface that will make the game easy to learn and fun and exciting to play.

 

“That’s why we’re excited to partner with Glu, a company that has had many past successes of turning popular online games to popular mobile games,” he said.

 

Glu is a global publisher of mobile games. The company was recently in news for announcing that its critically-acclaimed original title, Space Monkey, is available worldwide for iPhone (News - Alert) and iPod touch from Apple’s App Store. Space Monkey, a casual mobile puzzle adventure game, includes challenges and techniques exclusively for these devices.