Sega "thrilled" to acquire Relic for "PC online game market"

Sega has issued a statement regarding its deep and abiding respect for the newly acquired Relic Entertainment, and seems comfortable keeping the team focused on its strengths.

Sega said it acquired all shares in Relic Entertainment and some IPs "in order to further reinforce PC game development capabilities" in the US and Europe.

Sega praises Relic's production of "high quality games equipped with graphics equal in quality to movies and rich strategic game features". While not going into specifics on IPs obtained, it made mention of Warhammer 40k Dawn of War's 7 million series sales of 7 million and Company of Heroes' 4 million series sales.

"We are thrilled to have Relic Entertainment join the SEGA family. The acquisition is a strategic fit and a critical step in growing our business,"Sega of America president and chief financial officer John Cheng said.

"They are a well-respected studio with a reputation for making creative and innovative games and we look forward to seeing what great things we can create together over the coming years.”

Relic joins Sega's team of three existing studios on the US and Europe, which the company hopes "will further advance the provision of various appealing entertainment contents" and increase SEGA’s presence in the PC online game market".

It's not clear how Relic's licensing agreement with Warhammer license holder Games Workshop will carry forward; Polygon reports the company said it would "work in good faith" with Sega.