D3P eyes studio acquisitions for next-gen growth

European and US development teams are firmly in the sights of D3Publisher, as the company reveals long-term plans to acquire studios and original IP as part of a confident growth strategy.

Although the publisher is content to make the most of licensed products for current-generation consoles, European MD David Hope has told GamesIndustry.biz that the company intends in the long run to acquire assets and teams and bring them in-house for future projects.

"The company is looking very closely at European development opportunities with the proviso that the products also have potential to be sold in the US and maybe even Japan," said Hope.

"The current philosophy is to respect that the developer should own their IP. But certainly, in the longer term strategy of the business, it would be something we'd look at - developing such things in-house."

"Maybe even look at buying a development team themselves," he added. "If they had compelling IP, some good technology and could be run efficiently, then it would fit in with our longer term plans for D3".

The company is currently working on a number of next-generation developments, one of which, Dark Sector, Hope confirmed will be coming to Xbox 360 as well as the previously announced PlayStation 3.

"We have a number of Wii projects under consideration and development, as well as Dark Sector for the PS3 and Xbox 360 in development for an Autumn 2007 release," said Hope.

The full interview with D3Publisher Europe can be read on GamesIndustry.biz later this week.