Software app developer bitHeads has acquired Toronto’s Bedlam Games and Ottawa gameco Playbrains to form new technology company Ascension CrossMedia Inc., with plans to forge ahead in transmedia.

The formal announcement was made yesterday to delegates at Interactive Ontario’s GameON: Finance conference in Toronto, with Bedlam’s Trevor Fencott and Playbrains’ Scott Simpson making the announcement alongside IO president and CEO Ian Kelso.

Both Fencott and Simpson will serve as co-CEOs of the newly formed entity, which will offer connected products and services to businesses and consumers. The two companies have $13 million in annual revenue and are ready to move forward with an aggressive growth plan for this year.

Through Ascension CrossMedia, the company will focus on development services through its bitHeads brand while expanding its service delivery capability to new and existing clients including Bridgewater Systems, Research In Motion, Box.net, The New York Times and Rent.com, delivering products and services from networking and telecom systems, cloud tech and mobile apps.

Meanwhile, its entertainment group is slated to release four downloadable console titles this year, including Dungeons & Dragons: Daggerdale (pictured) under the Bedlam brand and Sideway: New York for Sony Online Entertainment under the Playbrains brand. Ascension CrossMedia is also creating technologies to connect console, Facebook and mobile games for iPhone and other devices.

Bedlam is also working with filmmaker Vincenzo Natali (Splice, Cube) on a game based on William Gibson’s Neuromancer.

Ascension CrossMedia is repped by business and talent agency for video games and digital entertainment, Digital Development Management (DDM).