Crypto Finalizes $6.1 Million Mikoishi Dea

CryptoLogic continues to be one of the industry's most aggressive Asian acquisitors, having this morning finalized a deal for a significant minority stake in a Singapore-based game development and design company.

Crypto said its $6.1 million investment in Mikoishi Studios -- originally announced in early November -- would be accretive to earnings in 2008 and would accelerate the pace of its penetration into the largely untapped Asia-Pacific region.

"Finding the right partners has been essential to CryptoLogic's dramatic growth in Europe, and it will be a key to [its] future growth in Asia," said Javaid Aziz, chief executive of the London-listed software supplier.

Under the terms of the agreement, Mikoishi will both develop new games and provide access to a technology platform that allows games to be ported to wireless devices.

As announced in November, Crypto will have options to increase its ownership in Mikoishi over time, and will have a presence on the Mikoishi board.

To date, Crypto has acquired a $1.2 million "financial interest" in China-focused casual games distributor 568 Network, and has put in bids to run sports lotteries in Taiwan and Vietnam.

In mid-afternoon trading on the LSE, CryptoLogic was down 2.50p, or 0.27 percent, to 912.50.