THQ expands Australian presence with Blue Tongue buyout

Publisher THQ has announced the acquisition of Australian development studio Blue Tongue Entertainment, which most recently developed movie-tie in The Polar Express across multiple platforms for the firm.

Blue Tongue is currently working on two as-yet unannounced cross-platform releases for late 2005, and has established itself as something of an expert in the field of movie licenses - with work on Starship Troopers and Jurassic Park also under its belt.

The acquisition means that THQ now operates two major development locations in Australia, one in Brisbane and one in Melbourne, making the US firm into the most active company in the rapidly growing development scene in the area.

"We are pleased to tap into the growing base of development talent in Australia as we continue to build our internal development capabilities," commented THQ Asia Pacific's vice president of product development, Steve Dauterman. "Through the acquisition of Blue Tongue, we will now have studio operations in both Brisbane and Melbourne, making THQ the premiere videogame developer in the region."

Blue Tongue CEO Steven Spagnalo is also enthused about the deal; "THQ's long-standing licensing relationships and global publishing capabilities have made them a great partner over the past couple of years," he explained. "The team is thrilled to now be a part of THQ Australia and looks forward to even more synergies with their development operations across the various territories."