French publisher Ubisoft today announced that it has reached an agreement to purchase (for an undisclosed sum) Japanese development studio Digital Kids. Ubisoft says the deal, which is expected to close during the company's third fiscal quarter of the 2007-08 year, is another important step towards shoring up its casual focus.

Digital Kids was founded back in 1996. The studio has offices in Nagoya and Osaka and currently has a team of 20 developers who specialize in creating Nintendo DS games. Digital Kids has completed projects for a number of Japanese publishers, but the studio also has previous experience with Ubisoft, having developed several titles for Ubisoft's Petz line of games, including Hamsterz Life.

"When it comes to Nintendo DS games, Digital Kids has demonstrated a leading knowledge that has resulted in creative animal simulation titles that appeal to Japanese and Western audiences alike, which is quite rare," commented Yves Guillemot, chief executive officer of Ubisoft. "This acquisition attests to Ubisoft's capacity to establish successful partnerships in new territories and reinforces its advance on casual games."

"It is an honor to become part of Ubisoft, one of the world's leading video game publishers," added Masahito Hasegawa, president of Digital Kids. "I am truly looking forward to using our experience to develop games that will be enjoyed by players all over the globe."

Details on Digital Kids' next project for Ubisoft were not disclosed.