Report: Warner paid £100 million for Traveller's Tales

Cash-happy Warner to pay the sum out over five years; still has plenty of spare change to spend.

Last week, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment made its first purchase on what could well be a mammoth shopping spree. The company acquired Cheshire, UK-based Traveller's Tales, the development company behind the Lego Star Wars games and Bionicle Heroes, as well as the upcoming Lego Batman.

The move came after Warner had secured $500 million in funding from an Abu Dhabi-based financial group, and according to a report in the Manchester Evening News, the Traveller's Tales buyout cost the company £100 million (approx $200 million).

The founder, Jon Burton, set up Traveller's Tales in 1989, after he had problems selling his own video game to other software companies. The company became TT Games after a merger with publisher Giant Interactive Entertainment in 2005. Burton stands to make a mint from the sale, with more than 80 percent of the company shares in his name and the remainder being held by his management team.

54 Comments

  • nunes123

    Posted Apr 23, 2008 10:45 am PT

    lego games are really funny and i hope lego batman is really cool

  • 100starz

    Posted Feb 24, 2008 9:02 am PT

    AC too me 2 days you want 2 hours lol?

    This game looks like its gunna suck

  • snowyjoe

    Posted Feb 23, 2008 12:51 am PT

    I LOVE U Traveller's Tales!!!!!!!!!!!!

    I LOVE THESE LEGO SERIES I'm a big fan of lego!

    But their too short like most of people say.

    Atleast make it as long as assain's creed maybe 3 weeks to complete.

    But the unlockables are pretty hard to get i guess. But not enough to make you play it every day

  • Blazeruk

    Posted Jan 13, 2008 11:51 am PT

    juju187 are you referring to the story of Thor / Beyond Oasis ? if so There was a sequel on the Sega Saturn, but a decent next gen installment of the series would be most welcome and pre-ordered.
    As for the whole Lego games thing I think that they are good games but not worth buying, a definite rent, just like the previous ones you can get it done in a weekend and you wont come back...

  • Gamewako

    Posted Jan 11, 2008 8:29 am PT

    Sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
    lame!

  • 100starz

    Posted Jan 9, 2008 2:53 am PT

    not impressed. this game looks like it's gonna be trash.

  • BobBurnquist

    Posted Nov 22, 2007 9:37 pm PT

    It looks funny im getting this when it comes out :-P

  • zeke2040

    Posted Nov 13, 2007 7:01 am PT

    i'm not impressed.

  • zeke2040

    Posted Nov 13, 2007 7:00 am PT

    i'm not impressed.

  • dbeddow

    Posted Nov 13, 2007 3:00 am PT

    DonutTrooper wrote: "Hey, maybe we could see a change of pace here. Lego Invader Zim, anyone?"

    Awesome suggestion Donut...if theres a petition out there, i would love to sign it.

  • godzillavskong

    Posted Nov 12, 2007 11:32 pm PT

    Anthony9000, Gamespot is lagging real bad when you submit your comment therefore causing people to accidentally post twice. Did you think it was just coincidence when over a dozen people posted several times the same post??

  • godzillavskong

    Posted Nov 12, 2007 11:30 pm PT

    Bionicle Heroes?!! The Lego Star Wars franchise is a decent franchise, but 100 million for the rights to these games? I guess they figured they had better buy them before EA does.

  • Sonicgod

    Posted Nov 12, 2007 6:36 pm PT

    Traveller's Tales made the worst sonic games of all time for the sega saturn, with even worse movie games and there only good game that sold was lego star wars.

    Not worth it.

  • longshot0529

    Posted Nov 12, 2007 6:21 pm PT

    What a wast of money, never heard of the company and don't particulary like lego star wars.

  • V-Nine

    Posted Nov 12, 2007 5:36 pm PT

    Travellers tales has unusually good luck. Even after monumental foul ups, companies still trust them with their major IPs.

  • juju187

    Posted Nov 12, 2007 4:50 pm PT

    what was that sw33t adventure game they made for genisis that you had spirits in your amulet? they need to remake that

  • juju187

    Posted Nov 12, 2007 4:50 pm PT

    what was that sw33t adventure game they made for genisis that you had spirits in your amulet? they need to remake that

  • lamprey263

    Posted Nov 12, 2007 4:12 pm PT

    well, it could be worth it if they can develop a lot of hit IPs, and the LEGO games I think have a lot of potential on their own, but, at $200 million just for their current projects and old IP I don't really see this being worth it

  • lamprey263

    Posted Nov 12, 2007 4:11 pm PT

    well, it could be worth it if they can develop a lot of hit IPs, and the LEGO games I think have a lot of potential on their own, but, at $200 million just for their current projects and old IP I don't really see this being worth it

  • Epicsnipeurazz

    Posted Nov 12, 2007 3:52 pm PT

    Gamespot is so **** slow today!

  • Lumenadducere

    Posted Nov 12, 2007 3:37 pm PT

    Well, as long as WB doesn't screw with 'em, this should be a good thing.

  • SimuLord

    Posted Nov 12, 2007 3:21 pm PT

    Hurrah for Traveller's Tales! A couple hundred million ought to go a long way toward making their future games even better than the already-awesome Lego Star Wars!

  • Anthony9000

    Posted Nov 12, 2007 3:15 pm PT

    why are so many ppl double, striple, and quadrople posting here? Gamespot, plz get tehse ppl to STOP

  • okassar

    Posted Nov 12, 2007 1:52 pm PT

    Wow,the United Arab Emirates are taking a big chunk of the London and New York stock exchanges and now they're putting some money into the gaming industry,not to mention the thousands of companies Dubai has bought out recently.Let's hope their move into gaming means alot of cash into making good games resulting into our happiness

  • okassar

    Posted Nov 12, 2007 1:52 pm PT

    Wow,the United Arab Emirates are taking a big chunk of the London and New York stock exchanges and now they're putting some money into the gaming industry,not to mention the thousands of companies Dubai has bought out recently.Let's hope their move into gaming means alot of cash into making good games resulting into our happiness

  • okassar

    Posted Nov 12, 2007 1:48 pm PT

    Wow,the United Arab Emirates are taking a big chunk of the London and New York stock exchanges and now they're putting some money into the gaming industry,not to mention the thousands of companies Dubai has bought out recently.Let's hope their move into gaming means alot of cash into making good games resulting into our happiness

  • okassar

    Posted Nov 12, 2007 1:47 pm PT

    Wow,the United Arab Emirates are taking a big chunk of the London and New York stock exchanges and now they're putting some money into the gaming industry,not to mention the thousands of companies Dubai has bought out recently.Let's hope their move into gaming means alot of cash into making good games resulting into our happiness

  • MasterChief725

    Posted Nov 12, 2007 1:45 pm PT

    yo i find it funny how everyone is double posting cuz gamespot is slow today. i did it twice lol. anyway, lego batman is gonna be awesome!

  • bernieberry

    Posted Nov 12, 2007 1:41 pm PT

    Gaming is a mulit-million dollar industry and getting bigger everyday!

  • Giratina667

    Posted Nov 12, 2007 1:23 pm PT

    Well,this only shows that games are getting more lucrative,and at the rate megaconglomerates are joining,may very well get worse.-.-

  • Nxss-effa-sim

    Posted Nov 12, 2007 12:15 pm PT

    I can't image how much money he will have to give to the government for capital gains tax, probably about half.

  • mashom

    Posted Nov 12, 2007 11:28 am PT

    He is the Richi Rich person.

  • wiidominance

    Posted Nov 12, 2007 11:21 am PT

    he got an 80% share, he might well be the richest developer now, could be wrong though ...

  • 1357900

    Posted Nov 12, 2007 10:59 am PT

    Speaking of WB, I wish they'd do an awesome Justice League game for all platforms.

  • beckoflight

    Posted Nov 12, 2007 10:53 am PT

    Don't care i just care so much about MONOLITH & PROJECT ORIGIN !

  • TristanH12

    Posted Nov 12, 2007 10:24 am PT

    Whoa hopefully he remains in power, lol. That is a ton of money to get.

  • TristanH12

    Posted Nov 12, 2007 10:22 am PT

    Whoa hopefully he remains in power, lol. That is a ton of money to get.

  • donnygorgas

    Posted Nov 12, 2007 10:19 am PT

    Who cares?

  • WizzyKid

    Posted Nov 12, 2007 10:16 am PT

    Woah, thats alot! But what is the point in buying developers?

  • Pastehunter

    Posted Nov 12, 2007 10:16 am PT

    Well its a tallented company ... so why not ?

  • Pastehunter

    Posted Nov 12, 2007 10:15 am PT

    Well its a tallented company ... so why not ?

  • WizzyKid

    Posted Nov 12, 2007 10:15 am PT

    Woah, thats alot! But what is the point in buying developers?

  • WizzyKid

    Posted Nov 12, 2007 10:14 am PT

    Woah, thats alot! But what is the point in buying developers?

  • Pastehunter

    Posted Nov 12, 2007 10:10 am PT

    Well its a tallented company ... so why not ?

  • uberjannie

    Posted Nov 12, 2007 10:09 am PT

    PC gamers just dont buy these games anymore..
    No point in coming with such titles, they sell awful for the PC.
    Im a PC gamer and I buy alot of games. Good games..
    But I wouldnt even dream of even downloading these games..
    They take full price for them aswell..
    When are they ever going to learn? =/

  • DonutTrooper

    Posted Nov 12, 2007 9:55 am PT

    Hey, maybe we could see a change of pace here.

    Lego Invader Zim, anyone?

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