TheGamingEconomy’s Daily Digest brings you the trending stories in gaming. In today’s news: Bigben acquires Spiders; My.Games incurs impairment charge of RUB₽630m (£7.99m); and Bandai Namco debuts tori, an AR-infused play kit.

Bigben acquires Spiders

Bigben Interactive has acquired fellow French development studio Spiders for an undisclosed sum, marking the latest in a series of acquisitions, with three other studios having been purchased in the last 18 months. The move is expected to bolster Bigben’s internal development capabilities, with the aim of producing approximately 6-7 titles in house each year. A total of six development studios will be under the umbrella of Bigben from September, when the acquisition is expected to be finalised, with approximately 300 developers and 40 publishing staff.

In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Bigben CEO Alain Falc said, "This acquisition fits perfectly with Bigben's strategy to increase its know-how in the development of video games in the AA strategic segment. We are delighted to welcome the talents of Spiders who will strengthen our Development unit and participate in new and even more ambitious projects."

My.Games incurs impairment charge of RUB₽630m (£7.99m)

Publisher My.Games, part of Russian tech giant Mail.ru, has incurred an impairment charge of RUB₽630m (£7.99m), with its free-to-play MMO title Skyforge having failed to meet sales expectations.

However overall revenue for the firm shot up by 33.7% to RUB₽7.5bn (£95.1m), with the majority (69%) of this figure coming from international markets, with the US, Germany and Japan highlighted as their main customer base.

The financial results also revealed that My.Games will be launching a gaming and media platform, however exact details on timing and scope were not released.

Bandai Namco debuts tori, an AR-infused play kit

Bandai Namco Entertainment has revealed tori, an AR-infused play kit designed for children aged 6-12, which will be released on 2nd October 2019. Using the tools, youngsters can craft real-world items such as a wand, catapult, and spacecraft, then interact with them in a virtual environment. Arguably this makes tori a similar product to Nintendo’s Labo, launched in April 2018, thus expanding the market for interactive AR/VR construction gaming.

In a statement on the company’s website, Herve Hoerdt, SVP of marketing, digital & content at Bandai Namco Entertainment Europe, said “We believe in creative, playful and active methods that develop activities where problem solving, creativity and concentration are at heart. In such regard, tori allows kids to have fun and express their personality through creative and interactive experiences with a perfect balance between on and off-screen time.”