Take-Two adds Max Payne GBA developer to the Rockstar family

British developer Mobius has been bought out by US publisher Take-Two, with the studio - previously responsible for the GBA version of Max Payne - being renamed to Rockstar Leeds but retaining its focus on handheld platforms.

The studio will be working not only on Game Boy Advance titles going forward, but also on games for Sony's forthcoming PlayStation Portable, which Take-Two has previously expressed strong interest in developing for.

"We were very impressed with the Mobius development team from the time they began work on the Game Boy Advance version of Max Payne," according to Rockstar president Sam Houser. "They bring a uniquely progressive vision to the titles they develop and we believe this studio is ahead of the industry on next generation handheld development."

Buying out a handheld developer such as Mobius is a quick way for Take-Two to get an edge in the rapidly expanding handheld marketplace, which will this year see the introduction of new platforms from both Nintendo and Sony.

Although development for Sony's PSP is more analogous to PlayStation 2 development than to Game Boy Advance development, game designers with experience of handheld platforms are still considered to have a major advantage as they are used to creating titles which work on a small screen and within the other constraints of a portable game.