Warner Bros Snaps Up Batman Arkham Asylum Developer
Studio could work on new licensed brands after Batman.
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It was only a matter of time - Warner Bros Home Entertainment Group has announced an acquisition of Batman: Arkham Asylum developer Rocksteady Studios.
This news comes after recent reports that the game's sequel switched publishers to IP holder Warners from Eidos.
Alongside the sequel to the critically acclaimed game, Rocksteady could be set to work on game adaptations of other WB franchises.
The majority stake purchase of the developer is the latest in a string of high-profile buyouts from the movie company to establish a foothold in the growing video game industry, with recent other acquisitions including Travellers Tales (LEGO games), Midway (Mortal Kombat) and Snowblind Studios (Lord of the Rings). Will its buying frenzy ever cease?
WBHEG (bit of a mouthful) president Kevin Tsujihara was very pleased at the outcome, saying that “Rocksteady demonstrated its professionalism and extraordinary development abilities with Batman: Arkham Asylum. This arrangement is a great strategic fit and we are very pleased to solidify our relationship with this talented development team.”
President of WB's Interactive Entertainment division, Martin Tremblay, re-iterated that Batman: Arkham Asylum 2 is well underway at Rocksteady, and that they still intend to publish it. Which is just as well, really.
Rocksteady is also happy with the situation, 'going forward' (maybe); “We are proud to strengthen our association with WBIE, a world class publisher that we have enjoyed working with since we began developing Batman: Arkham Asylum,” said Jamie Walker, studio director.
Then games director Sefton Hill throws the curveball and adds, “The Rocksteady team is very much looking forward to creating more great games based on widely recognized Warner Bros. brands like Batman.” So hopefully it won't be a studio set on creating Arkham Asylum games for the rest of its life. We'd very much like to see Animaniacs: Movie Lot Asylum. Get on it, WB.
This news comes after recent reports that the game's sequel switched publishers to IP holder Warners from Eidos.
Alongside the sequel to the critically acclaimed game, Rocksteady could be set to work on game adaptations of other WB franchises.
The majority stake purchase of the developer is the latest in a string of high-profile buyouts from the movie company to establish a foothold in the growing video game industry, with recent other acquisitions including Travellers Tales (LEGO games), Midway (Mortal Kombat) and Snowblind Studios (Lord of the Rings). Will its buying frenzy ever cease?
WBHEG (bit of a mouthful) president Kevin Tsujihara was very pleased at the outcome, saying that “Rocksteady demonstrated its professionalism and extraordinary development abilities with Batman: Arkham Asylum. This arrangement is a great strategic fit and we are very pleased to solidify our relationship with this talented development team.”
President of WB's Interactive Entertainment division, Martin Tremblay, re-iterated that Batman: Arkham Asylum 2 is well underway at Rocksteady, and that they still intend to publish it. Which is just as well, really.
Rocksteady is also happy with the situation, 'going forward' (maybe); “We are proud to strengthen our association with WBIE, a world class publisher that we have enjoyed working with since we began developing Batman: Arkham Asylum,” said Jamie Walker, studio director.
Then games director Sefton Hill throws the curveball and adds, “The Rocksteady team is very much looking forward to creating more great games based on widely recognized Warner Bros. brands like Batman.” So hopefully it won't be a studio set on creating Arkham Asylum games for the rest of its life. We'd very much like to see Animaniacs: Movie Lot Asylum. Get on it, WB.
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