Activision Blizzard announced today that its Activision Publishing division has acquired U.K.-based FreeStyleGames, a music game developer known for the B-Boy franchise. The studio will focus on music-based titles and is currently developing localized downloadable content for the Guitar Hero franchise, in addition to a yet to be announced new intellectual property in the music genre.

FreeStyle becomes a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Publishing and will continue to be based in Leamington Spa, U.K. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

"Activision Publishing is the undisputed leader in the music-based games and we see tremendous opportunity for continued growth, particularly in Europe," said Mike Griffith, President and CEO of Activision Publishing, Inc. "An important part of our European growth strategy is to work with local developers and provide music content that resonates with the market. FreeStyleGames has an award-winning team with a history of developing innovative and creative music-based games and they are uniquely positioned to help us expand our leadership in the genre."

"This is an exciting time for our company and great recognition of our success to date that Activision Publishing would look to welcome us to their studio roster," said Jamie Jackson of FreeStyleGames. "Our goal has always been to deliver the most compelling entertainment experiences, and with the infrastructure, support and financial resources of Activision Publishing, we will be able to set our goals even higher than they are today."