August 17, 2007
SUMO DIGITAL TO BE ACQUIRED BY
FOUNDATION 9 ENTERTAINMENT
Transaction marks F9E’s first
expansion overseas
Foundation 9 Entertainment announced
today that UK-based Sumo Digital, along with its recently established Indian
development facility, will be joining the F9E family of studios. The transaction
will mark F9E’s first expansion outside of North America and strengthen the
company’s ability to deliver top titles across multiple gaming platforms and
genres.
"The team at Sumo has done a
tremendous job building a world class studio in a relatively short amount of
time," said Jon Goldman, chairman and CEO of F9E. "By bringing them into our
family of existing studios, we’re now able to tap into the vast talent pool of
game developers overseas and expand the company’s presence in the sports and
racing genres."
Since its founding in 2003, Sumo has
developed a number of critically-acclaimed titles, including Virtua Tennis 3
for Xbox 360(TM), Super Rub ‘a’ Dub for PLAYSTATION(R) Network, and
Outrun 2006: Coast to Coast for multiple platforms. Sumo is based in
Sheffield, with an additional office in Pune, India. Sumo is currently working
on a number of unannounced titles for major publishers.
"We’re excited to join Foundation 9
and help expand its European presence," said Sumo CEO James North-Hearn. "We
believe joining F9E will bring us tremendous opportunities for growth in the
future, as well as the chance to offer many more great games to our publishing
partners." As part of the deal, North-Hearn will transition into the position of
Managing Director, Foundation 9 Europe, overseeing all European operations.
Sumo Digital will join F9E’s current
studios and brands: Amaze Entertainment, Backbone Entertainment, The Collective,
Digital Eclipse, ImaginEngine, Pipeworks and Shiny Entertainment. F9E develops
in multiple genres for all platforms and age groups, and has shipped more than
400 titles, including many bestsellers.
The company’s studios are currently
at work on more than 20 titles, including The Golden Compass, to be published by
SEGA(R), and Godzilla(R): Unleashed, to be published by Atari, Inc. The
transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2007. Terms of the
transaction were not disclosed.
