Ubisoft announced yesterday that is has acquired free-to-play game developer Owlient. According to an Ubisoft press release, Ubisoft hopes the acquisition of the internet-based gaming company will expand their online expertise and infrastructure to help increase their presence online.Yves Guillemot, chief executive officer at Ubisoft commented on the acquisition, "We are thrilled to welcome the talented team at Owlient to Ubisoft.  Over the last five years they have developed an architecture dedicated to delivering and monetizing games as a service, as well as the skills of attracting and retaining online communities. This acquisition is the next step in the acceleration of Ubisoft’s free-to-play strategy following last year's launch of Settlers Online, CSI Crime City and Heroes Kingdoms, as well as the recent beta launch of our ambitious title Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Online."Owlient was founded in Paris in 2005 and is the forerunner in creating free-to-play games for an expanded online community. Ubisoft hopes that their online services architecture will grow both their brands as well as Owlient's.Ubisoft is currently trading down 0.85% at $6.56 on the Euronext Paris exchange