UK, February 23, 2010 - Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has bought a majority stake in Rocksteady Studios, the British-based developer of Batman: Arkham Asylum.
"This arrangement is a great strategic fit and we are very pleased to solidify our relationship with this talented development team," said Kevin Tsujihara, president of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group.
The acquisition means that besides working together on future Arkham Asylum games, Rocksteady could also develop titles based on other franchises in the WB stable. Studio director Sefton Hill said; "[We're] very much looking forward to creating more great games based on widely recognised Warner Bros. brands like Batman."
Some of these brands could be DC Comics' other characters - WB owns the rights to the entire DC universe - including Superman, The Green Lantern, The Justice League of America, as well as the film incarnations. Based on their success with Batman, Rocksteady may be seen as a great fit to adapt these properties further down the line.
The move is just the latest in a spate of Warner Bros. acquisitions. In recent times the publisher has also snapped up the rights to the LEGO, Lord of the Rings and Mortal Kombat franchises.