Vivendi gets Secret Lair, adds Ch'in

Full of cash from World of Warcraft revenue, Vivendi Games decided to go on a bit of shopping spree and today announced that it has acquired two new studios.

Development houses Secret Lair Studios (not to be confused with America's Army: Rise of a Soldier developer Secret Level), based out of Issaquah, Washington, and Studio Ch'in, located in Shanghai, China, join the Vivendi Games family. The studios will largely be used to help develop Xbox Live Arcade games with Sierra Online, one of Vivendi's subbrands. They will also assist in projects already under way as well as new PC and console games.

Sierra Online recently announced its foray into Xbox Live Arcade games with three titles. Assault Heroes, 3D Ultra Mini Golf, and Carcassonne are all currently in development for Microsoft's online service. Sierra Online also has "other unannounced games" in the pipeline.