VIVENDI UNIVERSAL GAMES ACQUIRES U.K.- BASED GAME DEVELOPER SWORDFISH STUDIOS
LOS ANGELES - June 15, 2005 - Vivendi Universal Games (VU Games) today announced the acquisition of independent game developer Swordfish Studios. Under terms of the agreement, VU Games will retain Swordfish Studios U.K.-based team of 45 development professionals. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
"Swordfish Studios has emerged as a strong creative force with an experienced and talented group of professionals," said Bruce Hack, CEO of VU Games. "Following the integration of Radical Entertainment into the VU Games organization and Blizzard Entertainment's acquisition of Swingin' Ape Studios earlier this year, the purchase of Swordfish further builds our internal development capabilities."
Trevor Williams, Managing Director of Swordfish, will continue to lead the studio in the same role and will report to Peter Della Penna, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Product Development for VU Games. The studio will remain in its current office in Birmingham, England.
Swordfish Studios has earned several awards for excellence in game development, including "Developer of the Year" for 2004 by The Independent Game Developers Association. It was also honored as the best "New U.K. Studio" at the Developer Industry Excellence Awards.
Future products in development at Swordfish Studios will be announced at a later date. The studio just completed development on VU Games'TM PS2 first-person shooter, Cold Winter.
About Swordfish Studios
Swordfish Studios is one of Europe's most respected independent game development studios. Founded in 2002, the studio was awarded "Best New UK Studio" (DEVELOP Industry Excellence Awards) and "Best Company" (TIGA Awards) in 2004. Headquartered in Birmingham U.K., the studio has designed and developed many top-selling titles. Swordfish is currently working on Brian Lara International Cricket 2005 for the Sony PlayStation 2, Microsoft Xbox and PC platforms, in addition to two undisclosed titles. For more information, visit www.swordfishstudios.com
About Vivendi Universal Games
Vivendi Universal Games (www.vugames.com) is a global developer, publisher and distributor of multi-platform interactive entertainment. The company is a leader in the subscription-based massively multi-player online (MMO) games category, and also holds leading positions in the PC, console and handheld games markets. Its development studios and publishing labels include Blizzard Entertainment, Radical Entertainment, Sierra® Entertainment and Massive Entertainment's. VU Games'TM library of over 700 titles features owned intellectual properties including Warcraft®, StarCraft®, Diablo® and World of Warcraft from Blizzard Entertainment; Crash Bandicoot®, Spyro The Dragon®, Empire Earth®, Leisure Suit Larry Ground Control® and Tribes®. VU Games also maintains strategic relationships with industry leading content partners, including Universal Music Group, NBC Universal and Twentieth Century Fox.