Havas Interactive Buys Prize Central

Vivendi’s Havas Interactive, the No. 3 maker of entertainment software, said it bought closely held games Web site Prize Central Networks Inc. in a bid to boost its online efforts. Torrance, Calif.-based Havas, publisher of games such as “StarCraft” and “Half-Life,” is looking to expand its Internet site, Won.net, with the purchase of San Francisco-based Prize Central, which attracts users with cash and awards. The company plans to combine the two sites into Flipside.com. Terms weren’t disclosed. Havas Interactive Chief Executive Hubert Joly said 12 million people play games online now, and that audience is expected to expand to 28 million in 2004. The company, a unit of French environmental services and media firm Vivendi, expects to complete the acquisition by mid-April.