TheGamingEconomy’s Daily Digest brings you the prevalent business stories in gaming. In today’s news: Paradox Interactive acquires Iceflake Studios; Sea Monster raises USD$1m (£796,000); and Partner TV launches cloud gaming service with Blacknut.

Paradox Interactive acquires Iceflake Studios

Stockholm-based developer-publisher Paradox Interactive has announced the acquisition of Finnish multiplatform developer Iceflake Studios for an undisclosed sum. The two studios are currently collaborating on strategy title Surviving the Aftermath, which is currently in early access. Iceflake becomes the ninth subsidiary studio under the Paradox marque, following the opening of Barcelona-based Paradox Tinto in June and the purchase of Parisian mobile outfit Playrion earlier in July.

In a statement, Paradox Interactive COO Charlotta Nilsson commented, "The collaborative efforts we’ve shared thus far with Iceflake have given us all the confidence that this is a natural fit. Surviving the Aftermath fits the Paradox portfolio perfectly, and Iceflake has shown themselves to be the kind of partner who can help us create more titles in our core genres. Turning this relationship into a long-term partnership is an easy decision, and we’re eager to share more great games with our audience in the years to come."

Sea Monster raises USD$1m (£796,000)

Cape Town-based gaming, XR, and animation company Sea Monster has secured USD$1m (£796,000) in funding from FirstRand’s Vumela Fund, managed by Edge Growth. The funding will be used by Sea Monster to expand its portfolio of titles developed for enterprise audiences, as well as furthering marketing and collaborative efforts.

Nivesh Pather, Lead Deal Maker at Edge Growth, commented, “Sea Monster has proven that they are industry leaders in creating innovative digital solutions for corporate challenges which are more impactful and scalable than traditional solutions. We are impressed by the team’s skillsets and experience and by their deep passion to drive solutions that deliver both business and social outcomes. This aligns to our business objectives at Edge Growth. Through this investment and partnership, we fully expect Sea Monster to become a recognised global player in interactive experiences and solutions which change the way corporates engage their consumers and employees.”

Partner TV launches cloud gaming service with Blacknut

Israeli telecommunications provider Partner Communications has announced the launch of a cloud gaming platform under its television division in conjunction with Blacknut. The nascent service, termed Partner TV Gaming Powered by Blacknut, will operate on Partner TV set-top boxes and will offer subscribers access to "family-friendly premium" titles. The partnership follows a series of similar collaborations brokered by Blacknut, including those with Gameloft, TimGames, and Swisscom.

Commenting on the partnership, Blacknut CEO Olivier Avaro wrote, "With 2.7 billion people playing games, gaming is one of the most popular forms of online entertainment meaning there’s a huge opportunity for telecommunications companies to launch their own gaming services built specifically for a family-orientated audience. We’ve worked with Partner TV over the past year to create a service that offers the right mixture of performance, user experience and a catalogue of more than 400 quality games, and we’re excited to see it launch.”