Random House expands into game space
Traditional publisher inks partnership with Stardock on Elemental: War of Magic
The Random House Publishing Group has announced that it is to move into the videogames space beginning with a link up with PC developer Stardock.
The studio, well known for its Galactic Civilizations and Sins of a Solar Empire titles, has written a novel to sit alongside its forthcoming release, Elemental: War of Magic.
The book, penned by Stardock CEO Brad Wardell is set for publication by Random House in August under the title Elemental: Destiny's Embers.
The publisher is also working on a range of as-yet-unannounced deals, which are in various stages of development, with a new division in the company - IP Creation and Development Group - taking responsibility for the link-ups.
"After more than eighty years, Random House is now taking our storytelling expertise one step further," said Gina Centrello, president and publisher of The Random House Publishing Group. "We are providing a valuable service to other media companies in a competitive entertainment market, where success increasingly depends on the quality of your story."
And Wardell added: "A good story doesn't necessarily have to begin and end with a game; it can and should encompass as many creative mediums as possible in order to provide fans with the most complete rendering of a fictional place or time.
"With Elemental having an incredibly rich back story to tell, partnering with Random House allows us to create the most immersive universe possible for our fans."
There will be more from Wardell on GamesIndustry.biz later this month in the form of an interview.