Infogrames buys Eden Studios

Eden Studios, the company behind the V-Rally series, has become a wholly owned subsidiary of Infogrames, which previously held a 19.8 percent stake in the French developer. Eden Studios is now in the process of completing V-Rally 3 for PlayStation 2, which will be available in stores in Europe this June. It's also at work on original games for the Xbox and GameCube platforms that will be released in 2003 and 2004.

"Eden Studios is one of the largest international development studios," stated Infogrames Entertainment chairman Bruno Bonnell. "We take great pride in the fact that its founders chose to continue their company's growth as part of our group. The alliance between Eden and Infogrames is a perfect example of combining creative talent with publishing power."

Eden Studios joins the other 11 Infogrames Entertainment studios operating worldwide, including Reflections (creator of the Driver series and the forthcoming Stuntman) and Microprose (Grand Prix 4) in the UK, Paradigm (MX Rider, Spy Hunter) and Humongous (Backyard series, Pajama Sam) in the United States, and Melbourne House (Le Mans, Space Race) in Australia.

"I am at once honored by the Infogrames management's confidence in Eden and delighted to pursue our four-year relationship with Infogrames Entertainment," said Stéphane Baudet, Eden Studio's founder and chief executive. "The merger will enable Eden to continue growing, while at the same time making it possible for us to focus on the creative side of our business and to maintain and improve the quality and innovative features that have ensured the success of our games."