Malaysian MOL acquires Thai games distributor Zest Interactive
July 25, 2011 by Terence LEE
Malaysia-based MOL Global, a payment systems development company for social networks, online games and virtual worlds, has acquired Thailand’s leading games distributor and payment gateway company Zest Interactive through its Thai operation MOL AccessPortal, according to a MOL press release released on July 25.
MOL’s flagship product is MOL Points, a virtual currency used by online consumers to purchase in-game credits (including Facebook Credits). Zest Interactive owns a network of over 40,000 physical channels including retail outlets and cybercafes.
“Thailand presents one of the most robust and fastest growing markets for online gaming in Southeast Asia over the next few years for MOL. Our growth in Thailand is driven by the rapidly increasing numbers of social gamers and varied players in the online games ecosystem such as telecommunications service providers, online game developers and the distribution channels,” says MOL global operations president Craig White.
In 2009, MOL Global bought Friendster for a reported US$39.5 million (listen to a podcast that discussed this acquisition) and then later sold all of Friendster’s patents to Facebook for US$40 million.
About The Author
Terence LEE - Assistant Editor
Terence is an online media nut that is obsessed with writing and publishing for the Internet. Recently, he took up photography to expand his repertoire, and hopes to learn videography soon. He has worked in both online and print publications such as The Straits Times, Today, Mind Your Body, The Online Citizen, and Funkygrad. In 2010, he co-founded New Nation, a current affairs online magazine for young adults with a couple of like-minded folks. Terence can be found on LinkedIn and Twitter.
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