Riptide merges with Projkt Nine to form new mobile game firm

Riptide Games and Projkt Nine are announcing a merger today that will combine their companies into a new mobile gaming company.

Riptide Games is based in Denver, while Projkt Nine is based in Ottawa, Canada. They will operate under the Riptide Games Corp. name and continue a collaboration that has gone on for the past year. The combined company will have 11 employees.

While it’s a small player, it’s one more example of a rush to bulk up and expand in mobile gaming, which is getting a lot of attention these days thanks to the success of the iPhone, Android, and games such as Angry Birds. Small development shops have a way of becoming big ones in an era when indie games have a shot to become huge on the App Store.

Mike Montgomery, founder of Projkt Nine, will be chief creative officer of Riptide, while Brian Robbins, founder of Riptide, will be president of the new company, whose headquarters will be in Denver. Riptide was founded in 2007. Projkt Nine was started in 2009.  Robbins said the companies decided to merge to become more competitive in the next-generation mobile game market.

Riptide has seen success with its free-to-play iLookApps title and it is launching My Pet Zombie, a game created with Projkt Nine, on Thursday. Future projects will be more social focused. Both companies have been self-funded. Robbins has been making games since 1999, while Montgomery has been a graphic designer since 2000.