Gree acquires Open Feint; the Japanese Invasion begins ... again

Forget the Japanese Invasion of the 1980s, the Japanese Invasion is here ... again in social games. (Seriously, what does every parent call every video game system ever? That damned Nintendo.) Gree, a Japanese company that runs the Gree mobile social games platform, has bought OpenFeint, a company that does exactly the same thing in the US. You've probably seen OpenFeint in hit iPhone games like Angry Birds and Fruit Ninja, meaning this acquisition could result in a little name change. USA Today reports that the purchase was made for a sweet $104 million, and is another step in Gree's plan to create a global social gaming network that expands past its 25 million mobile users. In other words, Zynga better watch its back.