Warner Bros. Buys Monolith

LOS ANGELES - Television and film studio Warner Bros. has expanded its interactive gaming capabilities by acquiring video game producer Monolith Productions, officials said Thursday. Monolith, which has created "Alien vs. Predator 2," "Tron 2.0" and "No One Lives Forever," will become part of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, which licenses video games, co-publishes games and produces multiplayer online games, including "The Matrix Online." Terms of the deal, which will close Oct. 1, were not disclosed. Jason Hall, senior vice president of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, co-founded Monolith Productions in 1994 and was recruited by Warner Bros. while the two companies developed "The Matrix Online." Hall does not personally have a stake in the company, according to a press release issued Thursday. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. bought a small stake of Monolith last year and has chosen to exercise its option to buy the company. Monolith's headquarters will remain in Kirkland, Wash.