Foundation 9 Entertainment has bought its eighth studio--the UK's Sumo Digital. Sumo Digital's CEO, James North-Hearn, will now move into the role of managing director for Foundation 9 Europe, and oversee the company's European operations.

　　Sumo Digital is based in Sheffield in the UK, and also has an office in India. It was founded in 2003 by Carl Cavers, Paul Porter, Darren Mills, and James North-Hearn, four former members of the Infogrames management team. The company has worked on titles including Super Rub a Dub for the PlayStation Network, Virtua Tennis 3 for the Xbox 360, and Outrun 2006: Coast to Coast for multiple platforms.

　　Foundation 9 currently has more than 20 projects in development dispersed among its many studios, including Shiny's The Golden Compass and Pipeworks' Godzilla: Unleashed.

　　Foundation 9 currently has seven other studios: Amaze Entertainment, Backbone Entertainment, The Collective, Digital Eclipse, ImaginEngine, Pipeworks, and Shiny Entertainment. The deal marks the publisher's first expansion outside of North America. Financial terms were not disclosed, and the acquisition is expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2007.