Console role-playing game house Tri-Ace acquired by mobile company Nepro Japan

One of the great Japanese role-playing game studios has been purchased by a mobile developer.

Japanese developer Tri-ace has been acquired by mobile company Nepro Japan. The Tokyo-based company best known for its Square Enix-published Star Ocean and Valkyrie Profile role-playing game franchises will be retooled as a smartphone and tablet developer. Nepro, a mobile sales group, hopes to bolster its games business with the acquisition. This is a notable example of how the global games market is shifting its focus from console games to mobile development, a market that is predicted to hit $30.3 billion in 2015.