Big Viking Games Acquires Gallop Labs

Big Viking Games has acquired Gallop Labs.

The Toronto-based mobile gaming studio bought its neighbour, a data science startup, for an undisclosed sum, though a source quoted in BetaKit suggests Gallop was “sold for parts.” Indeed, it has been dubbed an “acquihire” by some.

BVG was already using Gallop’s technology, which won the Facebook Mobile Innovation Award. Other clients of Gallop include The New York Times and RBC Royal Bank.

Gallop’s audience intelligence solution uses behavioral data to identify retention risks and engagement opportunities.

“We’re very excited to bring the talented Gallop team on board,” said Albert Lai, CEO of Big Viking Games. “Their proven track record of turning data into actionable audience insights will help us provide more engaging gameplay experiences for our existing players.”

As mobile advertising costs continue to increase, Lai believes that competitive game publishers will be defined by the strength of their user intelligence and data science capabilities.

Most of Gallop’s founding team, including CEO Karthik Ramakrishnan, will not be staying with the company.

Gallop was last year a finalist for Startup of the Year. The company was spun-off from Bnotions in November 2013 and raised a seed round in December 2014 after being named Canada’s most innovative startup by CIX.