Dextrose, the browser-based game engine, acquires Effect Games

Germany’s Dextrose, the browser-based game engine startup, has acquired California-based Effect Games, which provides developer tools for creating and publishing web-based games. The terms of the deal remain undisclosed.

Dextrose is building what the startup claims will be the first commercial game engine for pluginless browser-based games. Dubbed ‘Aves Engine‘, it enables developers to create games built on the ‘open web stack’ in 2D and 2.5D (pseudo-3D), utilizing modern web standards – HTML, CSS and JavaScript – and negating the need for users to install a separate browser plug-in such as Flash or any other bespoke technology.

Dextrose says it will benefit from Effect Games’ experience in operating a “browser games-centered developer platform with clean APIs and great tools”. These include a an asset manager, level editor, sprite manager, environment editor, and various other publishing tools, as well as the ‘Effect Engine’, a JavaScript game engine to render graphics in the browser.

Furthermore, the acquisition sees Dextrose become the “leading vendor of integrated middleware and libraries to build state-of-the-art browser games”, claims the company, which plans to license its technology to professional game studios and publishers as well as to third-party vendors who want to use Dextrose libraries and code within their products.