Red Mile buys IR Gurus

Melbourne-based studio IR Gurus is Australian-owned no more. The dev house, which was founded in 1996, has been purchased by Red Mile Entertainment, making IR Gurus a wholly owned subsidiary of the California-based developer and publisher. The financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

IR Gurus is currently developing the flight combat game Heroes Over Europe for Red Mile, the next-generation follow-up to Heroes of the Pacific. In Australia, IR Gurus is perhaps best known for its AFL Premiership series, and is also now working on the PSP title Ricky Ponting 2007 Pressure Play for Codemasters.

In a press statement, Red Mile CEO and chairman Chester Aldridge said the purchase would improve cost control for Red Mile by bringing development in-house. IR Gurus CEO Mike Fegan, who is expected to remain at the helm of IR, said that the two companies had already enjoyed a strong relationship for several years. "Red Mile was an early believer in our studio and our Heroes of the Pacific title. We are extremely happy to join an emerging publisher like Red Mile and assist them as they build a portfolio of world-class franchises," he said.