Razer acquires THX to move beyond gaming segment

In a bid to move beyond the gaming industry, gaming hardware company, Razer has acquired THX, the renowned audio and video quality assurance company originally founded by George Lucas as part of Lucasfilm.

As part of the undisclosed transaction, THX will be “spun out” and operate as a “startup,” recapitalized by Razer; run independently of it under existing management, led by Ty Ahmad-Taylor out of San Francisco; and focusing on developing new things.

THX will also focus on the expansion of its current certification program to include new technologies, such as immersive audio and HDR, and the introduction of whole new programs, such as headphone certification and, in the future, Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality experiences and their enabling devices.

Ty Ahmad-Taylor, CEO of THX, said, “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. As a standalone 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.”

THX presently employs 50 people, including industry’s finest audio and graphics engineers and scientists; the plan will be to upgrade up those numbers both at the HQ and in other offices in countries like China to tap into the growing market there for films, tech and any other content that could be improved with better audiovisual quality.

“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. 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,” said Razer Co-Founder and CEO Min-Liang Tan.

Notably, Razer announced zVentures recently, a $30mn fund to back startups in areas that are considered strategic for Razer. It asserts that the major reason behind this deal is the phenomenal brand that THX has built over years which carries some weight considering the latent fondness for the THX name among movie fans.