As part of the agreement, Vivendi’s gaming unit VU Games will retain Radical’s team of 200 development professionals and acquire the studio’s game development technologies, which are responsible for the popular The Simpsons: Hit & Run game.
In addition, Radical’s founder Ian Wilkinson will become president of the new Radical Entertainment group and the studio will remain in Vancouver, Canada.
Vivendi is reported to have made the move for Radical after opting against selling its loss-making games unit and instead signing an exclusive agreement with Radical last month to produce six titles, including Scarface, Crash Tag Team Racing and The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction, securing its right to buy the firm at any time.
It is hoped that this latest acquisition will offer encouragement for US private equity firm Elevation Partners and UK gaming company SCi Entertainment Group, who are facing a possible takeover war for financially impaired Eidos.
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