The Sierra Extends to Santiago

by: Randy - posted: 2/20/2007 11:45:00 PM

Vivendi Games recently acquired Wanako Games, the biggest game developer in Latin America (financial details of the transaction remain undisclosed).  Wanako is the company that -- in conjunction with Vivendi's Sierra Online division -- released last year's award-winning Assault Heroes into the Xbox Live Arcade space, and now they're working to add 3-D Ultra Minigolf Adventures to their console-download resume.  Wanako will continue to maintain its employees and offices in Santiago, Chile.

Vivendi Games Acquires Top Latin American
Game Developer Wanako Games

Developer of Award-Winning Assault Heroes Further Strengthens Sierra
Online's
Internal Development Capabilities for Casual Online Games

LOS ANGELES - Feb. 20, 2007 - Vivendi Games today announced the acquisition
of
Wanako Games, based in Santiago, Chile.  Wanako is the largest game
development
studio in Latin America.  Financial terms of the transaction were not
disclosed.

The acquisition underscores the commitment by Vivendi Games' Sierra Online
division
to enhance its internal product development capabilities in the fast growing

console download online games space.  Sierra Online will bring to life
several
of Wanako's innovative, original concepts and will retain and grow its
talented
team of developers.

Sierra Online teamed up with Wanako Games on the development of the
action-packed
Xbox Live® Arcade title, Assault Heroes(TM), released in December 2006.
Assault
Heroes was awarded Xbox Live Arcade Game of the Year by IGN.com, the web's
number
one videogame information site.  Next up, Wanako Games will bring their
artistic
expertise to the upcoming Xbox Live Arcade game, 3-D Ultra Minigolf
Adventures.

"Wanako exudes the commitment to quality and a passion for developing great
games
that we ourselves strongly believe in," said Ed Zobrist, president, Sierra
Online.
 "The studio has an extensive offering of valuable tools and technologies
that
can be leveraged across all of Sierra Online's development studios.  The
combination
of Wanako's development experience, creativity and technical capabilities
will
contribute greatly to our presence as a leading publisher of console
download
online games."

"We are very excited to join a visionary group like Sierra Online who is
focused
on bringing truly entertaining and innovative online games to a mass
market,"
said Esteban Sosnik, founder and former CEO of Wanako Games.  "In working
with
Sierra Online on Assault Heroes it quickly became clear that our companies
shared
the same core values in game development and by joining together we could
develop
and deliver amazing products."

Sosnik will become head of Sierra Online Latin America and assume a broader
role
responsible for Sierra Online's business initiatives in Latin America.

"The entire development team is incredibly excited to join forces with
Sierra
Online to lead the industry in the casual online games space," said Tiburcio