Warner Bros buys computer games firm TT Games

Hollywood studio Warner Bros has bought TT Games, publisher of the popular Lego Star Wars computer games.

Analysts in the entertainment industry see the move by Warner Bros as an attempt to become a major player in the video-game industry.

The sale of TT Games, based in Cheshire and Burnham, the United Kingdom, comes barely two years after the group was formed by the merger of developer Traveller’s Tales and games publisher Giant Interactive.

Though the two companies did not disclose the sum of the deal, industry experts say that it would be around £80 million.

According to the deal, Warner Bros would also get access to a range of other video game titles like Bionicle Heroes. The Hollywood studio would also now be able to develop in-house games based on its popular movies.

A spokesman of TT Games has reportedly said that the deal, which is yet to get regulatory approval, “promises an exciting future” for the firm. “After 18 years in the video games industry, the opportunity to become a meaningful part of the world’s leading entertainment company is the fulfillment of a dream,” he added.

TT Games is most renowned for its vastly successful Lego Star Wars game, which has sold over 12 million copies worldwide.

Lego Stars Wars: The Videogame was published in 2005. It was followed by the Lego Star Wars 2: The Original Trilogy, which sold over 6 million units.

Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga is set for release in November 2007. Other titles being developed by TT Games include Lego Batman: The Videogame and Lego Indiana Jones.

Tom Stone, managing director of TT Games Publishing, said that “Warner Bros has an extraordinary track record in nurturing and developing intellectual property in television, in movies and now in games.”

Meanwhile, a statement from Warner Bros said the Hollywood studio was planning to gain a “significant presence in the games space.”

In October 2007, Warner Bros had revealed that it had entered into a partnership to launch an entertainment hub in Abu Dhabi, at an investment of US $500 million (£237 million) for the development of video games.

In a statement, Kevin Tsujihara, president of Warner Bros Home Entertainment, said “the expertise that TT Games brings to Warner Bros is a great match with our brands as well as an opportunity to effectively leverage our existing global infrastructure.”

Warner Bros entered the video games sector in 2004 when it bought Monolith Productions. In 2006, Warner Bros acquired a 10% stake in Sci, and later signed a distribution deal for the United States with Codemasters.