Free-To-Play Publisher Aeria Acquires Development Staff From Punch Entertainment

An unannounced game from Palo Alto's Punch Entertainment -- as well as its development staff -- has been acquired by free-to-play MMO publisher Aeria Games, the company announced Monday. Social game developer Punch Entertainment's catalog includes Facebook titles Music Tycoon and Ego, and iOS games Reign of Swords and Hunting Unlimited. Though Aeria did not specify the nature of its newly-acquired title, Punch's website makes mention of an "RPG game" for a "leading social gaming firm" as well as a "classic remake" in partnership with "a leading game publisher" among its upcoming titles. Privately vunded Aeria Games, which operates games including Eden Eternal, Shaiya, Battlefield Heroes and Wolf Team, also announced that it recently surpassed 23 million registered players worldwide. The company focuses its freemium titles on what it calls "power gamers," which it describes as "hard core and medium core players" who play up to four hours per day on average.