Vindigo Studios, one of the publishers of consumer applications for mobile devices, today announced it has been acquired by For-Side.com, a mobile content provider based in Japan. The Vindigo Studios acquisition was completed earlier this month for $36.5 million. Through the all cash agreement, Vindigo Studios will continue to operate as an independent entity led by existing management.

Vindigo Studios is one of the most prolific mobile application publishers in the U.S., with 20 consumer applications for mobile phones in market or in development, including the flagship Vindigo city guide , MapQuest Mobile , NYTimes.com Mobile News , MovieGoer , and most recently, the first fantasy sports application for wireless phones, Sporting News Fantasy Source . Rapid revenue growth spurred by the popularity of Vindigo Studios' applications for mobile phones led the company to achieve profitability in early 2004.

"For-Side is an established global leader in mobile content and applications, and adding Vindigo Studios' content and technology to their portfolio of products and providers was highly desirable for both parties," said Jason Devitt, CEO of Vindigo Studios. "As part of For-Side's family of companies, we will be able to expand our product offering in the U.S. and abroad, including the valuable Asian market where For-Side has built a broad consumer base and extensive distribution channels, which hold tremendous opportunity for Vindigo Studios."

Vindigo Studios was founded in 1999 and has been a leader in the consumer mobile application industry since the debut of its popular Vindigo city guide product for Palm devices, which launched in 1999.