MumboJumbo acquires the SiN: Episodes team, but remains silent on the future of the series...

Ritual Entertainment, developer of episodic SiN: Episodes, has been acquired by casual games developer MumboJumbo. The deal has been headed by MumboJumbo founder Ron Dimant, who previously worked at Ritual as the studio's Chief Executive Officer.

The move casts an uncertain cloud over the future of SiN: Episodes, given Dimant's comments about MumboJumbo's ability to set a bar in casual gaming:

"MumboJumbo established the casual games category at retail, and the purchase of Ritual Entertainment is consistent with our strategy to bring high-quality casual game content to the major platforms...The combination of Ritual's high-end, multi-platform expertise and our own industry-leading publishing model will set the bar for quality and sophistication in casual games and create a major industry powerhouse. The casual games market is beginning to mature as evidenced by an increase in consumer expectations. Ultimately, the companies providing the best content will win, which is why we are investing so heavily in the development of technology and original IP."

Dimant continued: "The disciplined structure of high end game development requires an in depth understanding of sophisticated tools and design techniques," said Robert Atkins of Ritual Entertainment. "Ritual's expertise in these areas complements MumboJumbo's mass market approach to casual game development and gives us a true competitive advantage."

The second episode in the SiN: Episodes was due to be released in the fourth quarter of 2006, but was delayed.