Warner Bros. Buys A Chunk of SCi
SCi obtains a bagful of lucrative movie licences – ‘The OC’ game on the way
Warner Bros. Entertainment Incorporated is set to purchase a 10.3% stake in Britsoft games publisher SCi Entertainment Group for £44.4-million. SCi (and Eidos) in turn obtains a bagful of movie licences.
The publisher is to create as many as 22 games based on Looney Tunes characters including Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Road Runner and Speedy Gonzales and more; the comic-book version of Batman; and various Hanna-Barbera properties such as Yogi Bear, the Flintstones and Huckleberry Hound.
Plus Eidos also gains interactive rights to Malibu teen drama The O.C.
SPOnG can only presume that The O.C. game will include lots of heart-wringing missions centred around being an over-priviliged Malibu-based teen with too much money and some seriously dysfunctional parents. For our shame, we actually love The O.C. despite what we might pretend to the lads in the boozer on a Friday night.
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group will provide warehousing, logistics, merchandising and media-buying services in the U.S. to Eidos while Eidos handles manufacturing, sales, marketing and public relations.
"Investing in SCi further solidifies our commitment to the rapidly growing interactive and gaming space," Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group president Kevin Tsujihara said.
SCi chief executive Jane Cavanagh said of the deal, “These agreements represent a further step in SCi’s development as one of the world’s leading publishers of interactive entertainment. The licensed properties will extend and strengthen our product portfolio through globally recognised titles such as Batman, Looney Tunes, Bugs Bunny and the classic Hanna-Barbera catalogue including brands such as Tom and Jerry. The properties also include content with a broad demographic appeal.”
She added, “Significantly, the partnership with Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group in the United States links us to the distribution network and buying power of one of the world’s largest media companies. The share subscription will provide SCi with the firepower to accelerate growth initiatives such as increasing our development capacity and our new media and online strategies.”
The investment, licensing and distribution agreements are all pending SCi shareholder approval.
The publisher is to create as many as 22 games based on Looney Tunes characters including Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Road Runner and Speedy Gonzales and more; the comic-book version of Batman; and various Hanna-Barbera properties such as Yogi Bear, the Flintstones and Huckleberry Hound.
Plus Eidos also gains interactive rights to Malibu teen drama The O.C.
SPOnG can only presume that The O.C. game will include lots of heart-wringing missions centred around being an over-priviliged Malibu-based teen with too much money and some seriously dysfunctional parents. For our shame, we actually love The O.C. despite what we might pretend to the lads in the boozer on a Friday night.
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group will provide warehousing, logistics, merchandising and media-buying services in the U.S. to Eidos while Eidos handles manufacturing, sales, marketing and public relations.
"Investing in SCi further solidifies our commitment to the rapidly growing interactive and gaming space," Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group president Kevin Tsujihara said.
SCi chief executive Jane Cavanagh said of the deal, “These agreements represent a further step in SCi’s development as one of the world’s leading publishers of interactive entertainment. The licensed properties will extend and strengthen our product portfolio through globally recognised titles such as Batman, Looney Tunes, Bugs Bunny and the classic Hanna-Barbera catalogue including brands such as Tom and Jerry. The properties also include content with a broad demographic appeal.”
She added, “Significantly, the partnership with Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group in the United States links us to the distribution network and buying power of one of the world’s largest media companies. The share subscription will provide SCi with the firepower to accelerate growth initiatives such as increasing our development capacity and our new media and online strategies.”
The investment, licensing and distribution agreements are all pending SCi shareholder approval.
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Comments
Joji 18 Dec 2006 15:29
1/1
Good but possibly bad too. We really don't watn SCi takebn off of doing stuff like Agent 47 to license junk like Looney Tunes. While its a good move for Warner, I'm not sure about SCi.
Next thing you know they won't be able to make any original games.
Next thing you know they won't be able to make any original games.