Turbine buys Asheron's Call
They sure know how to spend that venture capital.
Turbine Entertainment has signed an agreement to purchase the Asheron's Call franchise in its entirety from Microsoft Game Studios. That includes the original Asheron's Call and its expansion Dark Majesty, as well as the sequel Asheron's Call 2: Fallen Kings.
The transfer of ownership is expected to take the best part of a year, as it involves Turbine absorbing the testing, customer service, hosting and billing services.
"As the franchise's creator, Turbine has always felt a tremendous obligation to Asheron's Call and the people who play it," said Jeffrey Anderson, president and CEO, Turbine Entertainment Software. "We're excited to have the opportunity to build upon the success that the Asheron's Call franchise reached under Microsoft's management."
Turbine has already been in the news once this week after securing enough venture capital to allow it to self-publish Dungeons & Dragons Online - with distribution issues handled by retail partner Atari. Bringing AC under the same roof is more evidence of their ambition.
Apart from AC and D&D Online, Turbine is also working on the massively multiplayer Lord of the Rings book adaptation Middle-Earth Online for Vivend-Universal Games.