When George Lucas founded THX over 30 years ago to push the sound of cinema, he probably never guessed the company he built would wind up purchased by a gaming lifestyle brand.
While Lucas probably didn't think he'd sell Star Wars to Disney back then either, it's still surprising that THX announced today that it has completed being purchased by Razer.
Despite now directly reporting to Razer, THX will not be assimilated or rearranged by the video game accessory maker.
In fact, THX will continue to do business as an independent start-up, with its current management and employees retained. THX even has the ability to seek out partnerships with other services and manufacturers outside of Razer.
"We will function as a standalone unit," writes THX CEO, Ty Ahmad-Taylor. "However, I wouldn’t be surprised if we launched a few joint products with Razer."
On the Razer's edge
With products like the Razer Edge laptop, Turret keyboard/mouse combo, Kraken headphones, DeathAdder Elite gaming mouse, Leviathan speaker, and Forge TV set-top box, Razer is no stranger to branching out.
In addition to dabbling in just about every type of gaming hardware (and software) imaginable, Razer is also trying its hand at virtual reality with the Open Source Virtual Reality headset.
On the topic of joint products, Ahmad-Taylor mentions that VR could be a possible convergence for the two companies, as THX hopes "to play a leadership role in the audio portion of that experience."
This could potentially lead into THX-certified audio equipment like headphones or surround sounds systems that are designed to further immerse players into the VR experience - or just make the overall gaming experience more cinema-quality.
With a company as well-versed (and well-connected) in the hardware biz as THX under its belt, Razor could also begin to stretch out from its gaming demographic and reach a wider audience.
"This acquisition will allow us to reinforce Razer’s leadership in gaming and extend the brand into broader areas of entertainment," said Razer co-founder and CEO, Min-Liang Tan. “The value of THX rests in its bedrock competencies with certification, optimization of audio and intellectual property development."
