JAPANESE CONTENT FIRM TO BUY UIEVOLUTION

Square Enix, the Japanese entertainment software giant behind popular gaming titles like Final Fantasy, announced the intent to acquire UIEvolution, a Bellevue, Wash.-based developer of cross-platform application programming interface software for content firms looking to get into the mobile arena. The deal was for $58 million.

Square Enix is a customer of UIEvolution's UIEngine for delivery of content over NTT DoCoMo's network and had invested in the software developer last December. “We've been collaborating on content and found out we had a shared vision,” said Ichiro Otobe, general manager of Square Enix. “Software is becoming more like a service. In the gaming industry, Square Enix was at the forefront of combining content creation with content presentation. In network-based entertainment, we're now at the forefront of the same combination.”

UIEvolution makes the presentation part easier with APIs that work across multiple mobile device operating systems, interfaces and networks. In addition to Square Enix, UIEvolution already has won over such content luminaries as Disney.

“We'll continue to serve our existing content customers and will now have more R&D resources to work with,” said Chris Ruff, vice president of marketing and product management at UIEvolution.