RealNetworks Buys Brazilian Online Game Firm

RealNetworks (RNWK Quote) said Tuesday that it bought Brazilian online game company Atrativa for an undisclosed sum.

Atrativa is the most popular games site in South America, Real said, and the most widespread distributor of casual games to local portals on the continent. The deal closed at the end of 2006, the company said.

Like the ubiquitous solitaire, casual games are those that are played online in shorter periods of time. Real's titles include Acropolis, Caribbean Mah Jong, Super Collapse! 3, Scrabble and Diamond Detective.

Real said more than 750,000 games are downloaded through its sites on an average day.

The gaming division was the highlight of Real's most recent quarter reported in November. Revenue in the segment jumped 53% to $22.5 million over the same period in 2005.

The company also beefed up its gaming presence in Europe last year when it bought Zylom, a games creator and distributor based in the Netherlands. It also sells game subscriptions in China through its RealGame service.

Shares of RealNetworks were recently off 3 cents to $10.71.

The online media firm reports its fourth-quarter earnings on Feb. 14.