Sega signs deal for games based on His Dark Materials franchise

Sega has inked a deal with New Line Cinema and Scholastic Media to create games based on the movies in the His Dark Materials trilogy.

The first game will be based on the upcoming film The Golden Compass, starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig, due for release in November 2007.

"We are excited to be partnering with New Line and Scholastic to bring the dark and fantastic story of the His Dark Materials trilogy to the videogame audience," said Simon Jeffery, president of Sega America.

"The Golden Compass is a perfect match for the video game medium with compelling characters engaged in a heroic conflict between good and evil in an incredible and rich fantasy world."

The His Dark Materials movie trilogy is based on the works of award-winning author Philip Pullman, which have sold over 10 million copies worldwide to date.

"For New Line's biggest film since The Lord of the Rings, we knew we wanted an interactive partner that had the talent, the scope and the reach to deliver triple-A videogames to the four corners of the globe," said David Imhoff, senior executive VP for worldwide licensing and merchandising at New Line Cinema. "For The Golden Compass, that company is SEGA."

The movie trilogy consists of The Golden Compass, which has a USD $150 million budget (EUR 118 million), The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass.