Games firms in Hollywood takeover speculation

by Staff, Brand Republic 24-Oct-08, 15:55

LONDON - Two computer games developers, one of which is SCi Entertainment, the British firm behind the 'Tomb Raider' franchise, are reported to be up for takeover by American movie companies.

On the other side of the Atlantic, according to Variety, US-based games developer Epic Games, the firm behind the hugely popular Xbox game 'Gears of War', is believed to be in talks with film financier Legendary Pictures about a possible sale.

The two parties are already collaborating to turn Gears of War into a feature film.

Should the deal go ahead, it would create a precedent as Legendary would become the first film-financing firm to invest money in video games.

Time Warner last week bought 5m shares in SCi Entertainment, upping its stake in the company to 16.13%. SCi owns Eidos, which owns the 'Tomb Raider', 'Deus Ex' and 'Hitman' franchises.