MTVN Acquires Online Gaming Startup Social Express

Viacom unit to develop games for MTV, Nickelodeon

By Todd Spangler, Multichannel News -- Broadcasting & Cable, 7/8/2010 10:51:17 AM

MTV Networks has acquired Social Express, a San Francisco-based social gaming development startup, which the programmer expects to integrate into its Nickelodeon Digital group and use to launch "social games" for MTV, Nickelodeon and other brands.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. MTVN said it will develop social games based on Social Express' original intellectual property as well as shows and characters from MTV, Nickelodeon and its other brands, with the first game to be introduced in the third quarter of 2010.  In addition, the Viacom unit said it plans to launch a publishing platform for independent game developers based on the Social Express platform.

Social Express, which has 10 employees, was founded in 2009 by Tony Espinoza and Neil Souza, both formerly of online-game company Zynga.

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