Air Studios joins the Hive

World-renowned recording studio Air Studios, which is operated by Beatles producer Sir George Martin, has become the latest facility to join Hive Partners' Affiliate Partnership Network.

The studio, which includes facilities for a wide range of recording tasks ranging from rock and pop music through to full orchestral scores, post production and live events, is used regularly by artists including Coldplay, Radiohead and well known director Tim Burton.

It's hoped that its induction into the Hive network, which aims to bring together a community of companies focused on providing top quality services to the interactive entertainment industry, will drive more games business to the studio.

Air Studios has previously worked on the scores for EA's Harry Potter titles, with the score for the forthcoming Prisoner of Azkaban and last Christmas' Quidditch World Cup both recently completed at the facility.

"Games have long been about more than just gameplay," commented Hive Partners CEO Ed Bartlett. "Consumers also want an entertainment experience that will match and eventually exceed the latest Hollywood blockbusters, all of which means our developers, publishers and platforms must continue to push the production values envelope."

"Game audio is an often overlooked and increasingly important aspect of the development process, and we believe that with their combination of history, location, facilities and understanding of game development, Air Studios are simply the best," he concluded.

Hive's partnership network already includes companies such as Barrington Harvey (PR), Briffa (legal) and creative agency Clinic. The company hopes to double the membership of the network during the first half of 2004.