SEGA Buys Sports Interactive And Secret Level...

SEGA Buys Sports Interactive And Secret Level // UPDATE #2

SEGA got an early start this morning and already managed to shoot two rabbits, having just annunced the acquisition of two important development studios: Sports Interactive on the European front, and Secret Level on the other side of the Atlantic. From a highly subjective point of view, the most important buyout is that of Sports Interactive, the British studio founded in 1994 by Paul and Oliver Collyer, whose predilection for sports simulators led them to create (among other titles) the Football Manager series. On the other hand, Secret Level is mainly known for the development of the PS2 and Xbox versions of America's Army: Rise of a Soldier, and before that for Magic The Gathering: Battlegrounds.

SEGA's double acquisition comes shortly after the announcement of a partnership with Obsidian for a next-gen RPG, and of course we can't forget about them taking over The Creative Assembly (if Total War rings a bell) about a year ago! So I guess it's safe to say they got some big plans for the future.

UPDATE: The price paid by SEGA for Secret Level seems to have been around $15 million! I wonder how much the Collyer brothers managed to get...

UPDATE #2: ...and GamesIndustry.biz responds: around $52 million! I'm speechless.

(N.B. Archive text, links removed)