Razer Buys Audio Company THX, But Will Allow It to Operate Independently

Iconic audio company THX has been acquired by Razer. The gaming hardware company announced the news today, though made it clear that it's allowing THX to keep all of its staff and to run independently with its own operations and business decisions. This includes making deals with other product makers, service providers, and financial partners.

THX was founded by George Lucas in 1983 and was intended to bring a certain level of audio quality to movie theaters. You might be most familiar with the iconic sound that plays before some movies. Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan said that his company "has a vision for innovation at every level of entertainment, a vision which THX has championed since its inception more than 30 years ago."

"This acquisition will allow us to reinforce Razer's leadership in gaming and extend the brand into broader areas of entertainment, while at the same time empowering THX to develop into a global powerhouse, independently," Tan said.

"The value of THX rests in its bedrock competencies with certification, optimization of audio, and intellectual property development," he continued. "We expect [CEO Ty Ahmad-Taylor, senior VP of audio research Laurie Fincham], and the executive team and employees of THX, who we have also retained, to continue leading the world in innovations and technology in the audiovisual space."

Ahmad-Taylor said THX will "continue to service [its] partners in the industry to deliver great products to consumers," while also working with its new parent company on strengthening its "core lines of business."

In other acquisition news, Logitech acquired PC gaming peripheral company Saitek last month. The sale was made for $13 million in cash.