BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) (TSE:BB) decided to close Scoreloop, its business unit in Germany that helps mobile game developers social network connections, in app purchases, virtual currency, and manage their billing.
The Canadian smartphone manufacturer acquired Scoreloop in 2011, and the company has offices in the United States and Asia. When BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) (TSE:BB) bought its German unit, its primary objective was to encourage more developers to develop mobile apps to strengthen the competitiveness and boost the sales performance of its device.
BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) (TSE:BB) struggled to compete with its rivals such as Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd (ADR) (LON:BC94) (KRX:005935) in the smartphone market.
BlackBerry CEO John Chen refocused the efforts of the company towards developing smartphones equipped with keyboards, improving its enterprise services and mobile device management business leveraging on the success of its BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) in order to revive its profitability.
The decision of BlackBerry ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) (TSE:BB) to shut down Scoreloop demonstrates its intention to concentrate more on its traditional customer base—enterprises to boost its market share.
Scoreloop will “discontinue its services as of Dec. 1. This decision aligns with BlackBerry’s strategy to focus developer efforts on delivering the best enterprise solutions for customers,” according to the spokesperson of the Canadian smartphone manufacturer.
Last month, BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) (TSE:BB) terminated the employment of 65 people whose jobs were primarily focused in developing mobile apps for consumers. The company kept approximately 100 individuals who are developing apps for enterprise customers.
Separately, BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) (TSE:BB) announced that BlackBerry Service Enterprise 10 (BES 10) has been selected by G4S Argentina as its enterprise mobility management (EMM) solution.
In a statement, IT Manager at G4S Argentina said, “BlackBerry is our main mobile communications provider for our operations outside of our Buenos Aires Headquarters. Our dynamic workforce demands real-time mobility, as well as efficiency, in communications. Through BES10, we are looking to ensure that data remains secure by separating users’ corporate data from their personal data. In addition, it will allow our operations to be more mobile and will simplify enterprise mobility management.”
