Warner Bros. acquires Matrix Online dev Monolith
There is no, er, disclosure of terms.
The Matrix Online developer Monolith Productions is to become part of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment after Warner Bros. exercised its option to buy the company. Terms of the deal, which will close on October 1st, were not discussed.
Last year, Warner Bros. bought a 20 per cent stake in Monolith with an option to buy the whole company, which it has now exercised. However yesterday key executives were insisting that it was business as usual for the Kirkland, Washington-based firm.
"Things will actually change very little," said Monolith chief executive Samantha Ryan. "We're free to continue to work with other companies, as is WBIE [Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment]."
There are no planned lay-offs or recruitment drives, and Ryan will retain her position as CEO, reporting to senior vice president of WBIE Jason Hall - one of Monolith's founders in 1994.
Since it began life a decade ago, the largely PC-based developer has worked on a number of successful titles including TRON 2.0, Aliens Vs. Predator 2 and No One Lives Forever, and is currently working on The Matrix Online for Sega and F.E.A.R. for Vivendi-Universal Games.