SAN FRANCISCO & LONDON – November 17, 2011 – SEGA of America, Inc. and SEGA Europe, Ltd. today announced the acquisition of San Francisco-based independent developer Three Rings Design, Inc. Founded in 2001, the talented team at Three Rings has over ten years of experience creating accessible and engaging online worlds, including the incredibly popular puzzle-MMORPG Puzzle Pirates and recent Game Developers Choice Online Award-winner Spiral Knights.

The acquisition of Three Rings is a key part of SEGA’s aggressive expansion into the digital space; the addition of vision, talent, content and technology further secures SEGA’s foothold in the fastest growing sector of the video game industry. Three Rings joins an elite family of SEGA subsidiaries which include Football Manager developer Sports Interactive and Total War creators The Creative Assembly. Three Rings’ fiercely imaginative spirit is a perfect match with SEGA’s longstanding dedication to providing players worldwide with the best possible gaming experiences.

“We knew from the first time we saw Spiral Knights that the team at Three Rings was not simply talented but truly unique, and the close bond we have formed with them over the past year has only solidified that impression,” said Haruki Satomi, Senior Vice President of Digital Business for SEGA of America. “We are proud to welcome them as the newest member of the SEGA family, and look forward to seeing what great things we can create together over the coming years.”

“Three Rings has always been a studio that prides itself on the depth and creativity of our games, we are very fortunate to have found a company like SEGA that both respects our identity and shares our passion for developing engaging and quality games,” said Daniel James, CEO of Three Rings Design, Inc. “We are honored to be joining such a legendary team and look forward to collaborating on amazing ideas together.”

The studio’s proven ability to create compelling virtual worlds will be an integral part of SEGA’s continued growth into the online gaming space. In the short term, the companies will focus on continuing to grow and support the current hit, Spiral Knights, and launching with BBC Worldwide the much-anticipated MMO based on the world-famous BBC Sci Fi series Doctor Who.

Spiral Knights received the award for Best Online Game Design at the 2011 Game Developers Choice Online Awards and was a finalist in a total of four award categories. For more information about the game, visit http://www.spiralknights.com/.

On a quick personal note, I just wanted to add my own thoughts to the above press release information: It was just about two years ago that I first saw an early incarnation of Spiral Knights, when SEGA was taking a first look at the game. It had that immediate charm to it — the design and the creative force behind it was evident and felt right; something clicked and my brain said “yes, this!”. I love games and game design and how they tell the stories they tell — not just stories how we think of them from books and movies but the personal (and in the case of an MMO, shared) narratives they create through our interaction with the game itself.

Game design is a rough feat to pull off, especially for small company — I’ll try and pull back on my effusive praise since they are now part of the SEGA family, but I will say they are wonderful people (and they have an absolutely killer office here in San Francisco, designed after the Nautilus  and featuring a (full operational?) TARDIS. I’m proud to have them on board and look forward to bringing everyone more stories from their fine games in the months and years to come!

For more information about Three Rings, visit http://www.threerings.net/.