Sega signs next-gen pact with Silicon Knights

In a release issued this morning, Sega announced an agreement to acquire and publish next-generation game content from Canadian developer Silicon Knights. The Ontario-based developer is known for such recent games as Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes and Eternal Darkness for the GameCube, as well as Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain for the original PlayStation. No titles or release dates were mentioned.

"We intend to establish Sega as a leading publisher on the next generation of game hardware, and only the highest possible quality of Western-developed content will get us there," said Simon Jeffery, president and COO, Sega of America. "Silicon Knights has a rich history of developing great games that push hardware technology, so we expect this relationship will result in a powerful, new, and highly commercial franchise."

"Silicon Knights believes that the next generation [of] systems will be the catalyst propelling video games as the dominant form of entertainment in this century," said Denis Dyack, president of Silicon Knights. "We are very excited to collaborate with Sega on a next-generation project, because we share a vision--to take the medium of games to new heights and move people as never before."

While the announcement did not identify which next-gen platforms it would be developing for, Silicon Knights is almost certainly developing a game for a console other than the Nintendo Revolution. Nearly a year ago, the shop announced it had ended its agreement to develop exclusively for the GameCube. Nintendo itself described that the deal's end was designed to allow Silicon Knights to "pursue its vision of video game entertainment with other companies."

The deal marks the second major next-gen development deal for Sega in nearly as many weeks. Earlier this month, the company announced it had purchased the Creative Assembly. The UK-based studio of the acclaimed Total War PC strategy series is now focused on the current-gen action game Spartan: Total Warrior, "as well as developing new ventures for next-generation platforms," revealed Sega.