Ubisoft Acquires Mobile Studio Notorious For Cloning Games

Ubisoft announced today that it has acquired mobile developer Ketchapp, known for games such as 2048, Hoverboard Rider, and Skyward.

What makes this move unusual is Ketchapp’s notorious reputation for making cheap clones of popular games. The studio came under the spotlight in 214 when the media discovered that its hit game 2048 was a direct clone of Gabriele Cirulli’s open-source puzzle game with the same name.

In the press release, Ubisoft praised Ketchapp for achieving an average of 23 million game downloads per month. “This acquisition gives Ubisoft one of the world’s leading mobile game publishers and reinforces our advertising capabilities in mobile gaming,” said Ubisoft mobile exec Jean-Michel Detoc.