Ubisoft buys mobile game company behind Threes clone, 2048

Ubisoft has bought Ketchapp, the controversial mobile game company behind a hugely popular Threes clone.

Ketchapp publishes a huge number of iOS and Android games, such as ZigZag and Stick Hero, that have been downloaded nearly 700m times, and it's clear it's a highly profitable business, hence Ubisoft's interest.

But it's also been accused of unceremoniously cloning other games in an attempt to make it big, fast on the App Store since starting life in 2014.

2048 was once Ketchapp game that became embroiled in a cloning row. Many considered it to be a rip-off of Threes, a brilliant puzzle app that was my game of 2014. Certainly the developer of Threes, Sirvo LLC, wasn't thrilled with the situation.

The reaction to Ubisoft's purchase of Ketchapp on social media was mixed. Some pointed to Ketchapp's less than stellar reputation and questioned the decision to buy the company. Others highlighted the fact Ketchapppumps out loads of games, usually one a week, so there's more to its portfolio of titles than clones.

Here's what Asher Vollmer, creator of Threes, had to say.

Ubisoft, as you'd expect, is thrilled. Here's Jean-Michel Detoc, boss of Ubisoft's mobile business:

"With Ketchapp, Ubisoft acquires a highly profitable publisher with a successful portfolio of free-to-play games for mobile. This acquisition gives Ubisoft one of the world's leading mobile game publishers and reinforces our advertising capabilities in mobile gaming."