OpenFeint will now be the property of Gree International, the domestic branch of Japanese company GREE, which operates its own social-focused gaming and app network and recently risen to be Japan's largest such platform. OpenFeint's staff will be retained, including CEO Jason Citron. The announcing the acquisition boasts that the combination of GREE and OpenFeint will "reach 100 million users worldwide."

On iOS, OpenFeint is the best alternative to Apple's Game Center platform, even though they offer the same basic functionality, and popular games support both platforms at once. Part of OpenFeint's longevity may have to do with its friend-tracking features that let you compare your skills with friends, set up multiplayer matches, and show you who's playing the same game in your region. With the news of the acquisition, it will be interesting to see if Apple will strive to make Game Center a more competitive, feature-packed platform in the future.

The OpenFeint acquisition is not the only big deal Japanese mobile companies have made. In October 2010, Japan's DeNA, one of GREE's biggest competitors, bought mobile game developer Ngmoco for $400 million.

This article originally appeared on GamePro.com as