News Corporation company NDS, which provides technology for pay-television operators, including encryption systems and interactive television middleware, is to acquire Danish game design and publication company ITE, or Interactive Television Entertainment.
Based in Copenhagen, ITE was founded in 1988 and employs some sixty people. Back in 1990 ITE launched the television show Hugo the TV Troll in Denmark and created an international franchise based on the interactive animated character.
The company now specialises in producing games for Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo consoles, as well as television and mobile platforms.
“ITE is an established leader in the games development and publication arena that fully compliments our existing, high quality interactive TV games proposition,” said Jesper Knutsson, managing director of NDS in Denmark.
“The acquisition further enhances the ability of NDS to offer its existing portfolio of leading content owners and multinational broadcasters world leading interactive games solutions across a wider range of platforms, as well as opening up new opportunities in other, high-growth interactive gaming markets,” he said.
Jesper Knutsson was previously head of Visionik, a Danish developer of interactive television applications acquired by NDS in 2002.