Warner Bros Buys Game Developer Turbine

In an attempt to carve a niche for itself in the social networking and online gaming market, US based Warner Bros film studio is all set to acquire online gaming company Turbine, which is behind the highly popular 'Dungeons and Dragon' game franchise and the online version of the 'Lord of the Rings' game.

Turbine Inc., which was originally called CyberSpace Inc., will provide Warner Bros with an online gaming platform, which charges users for 'Swords and Spells' and other in-game assets by the means of a sophisticated online micro-payment system and also allows them to interact with other game players and post their scores across various social networking websites. 

Commenting on the acquisition of the online game developer, Kevin Tsujihara, president of Warner's home entertainment group, said in a statement to the Financial Times that “Where the trends are dragging us towards is looking at 3D opportunities and going direct to the consumer. The connected consoles are really a path to the home in a way that could become a meaningful distribution platform for us.” 

The film studio explained that the company plans to exploit the increasing demand for online content and the advent of internet enabled TV sets by offering its viewers more than just movie DVDs and merchandise.