If you’re familiar with the Razer name, chances are fairly good that it’s because you’ve either encountered or heard of the company’s gaming PCs or peripherals. The company wants to be more than a gaming company, however, and on Monday it took a major step in that direction by announcing it would acquire the audio technology company THX, which was founded by George Lucas in 1983.
“Razer has a vision for innovation at every level of entertainment, a vision which THX has championed since its inception more than 30 years ago,” Razer co-founder and CEO Min-Liang Tan said in a statement. “This acquisition will allow us to reinforce Razer’s leadership in gaming and extend the brand into broader areas of entertainment, while at the same time empowering THX to develop into a global powerhouse, independently.”
The THX name might not immediately ring a bell, but the company’s iconic “Deep Note” sound is instantly recognizable. The company’s audio and video certification programs and tools have helped many a home theater enthusiast set up their new TV or A/V receiver, and will continue to do so while operating under Razer.
THX will continue to operate independently, and under its own management. Most recently, the company debuted THX Live, which took its audio certification tools on the road to certify stadiums for live sound on Beyonce’s Formation tour.
“Our focus has always been on ensuring that anyone can experience high-quality entertainment, regardless of their medium of choice. With Razer, we can now continue to strengthen our core lines of business while delivering excellence for our customers’ ever-changing needs,” THX CEO Ty Ahmad-Taylor said. “As a stand-alone company, THX will work with Razer but will primarily continue to service our partners in the industry in order to deliver great products to consumers.”
Moving forward, THX will also continue to branch out. Ahmad-Taylor wrote in a Medium post that “as gaming bridges into VR, we expect to play a leadership role in the audio portion of that experience.”
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
