SEGA of America Inc. and SEGA Europe Ltd. today reached an agreement with New Line Cinema and Scholastic Media to create video game content based on the films from award-winning author Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy. With over 10 million books sold worldwide, the His Dark Materials trilogy is comprised of The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass. The first film, The Golden Compass (Northern Lights in the UK), will be produced by New Line Cinema, producers of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and Scholastic Media. The $150 million-budgeted film will star Oscar-winning actress Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig (James Bond in the upcoming Casino Royale) with Oscar-nominated writer/director Chris Weitz (About a Boy, Antz) directing, and with Deborah Forte, President of Scholastic Media, producing. Scholastic Media is also serving as the licensing agent for this property. The Golden Compass is set to be released on November 16, 2007.

"We are excited to be partnering with New Line and Scholastic to bring the dark and fantastic story of the His Dark Materials trilogy to the video game audience,” said Simon Jeffery, President and COO, SEGA of America, Inc. "The Golden Compass is a perfect match for the video game medium with compelling characters engaged in a heroic conflict between good and evil in an incredible and rich fantasy world.”

“For New Line's biggest film since The Lord of the Rings, we knew we wanted an interactive partner that had the talent, the scope and the reach to deliver AAA video games to the four corners of the globe,” said David Imhoff, Senior Executive Vice President, Worldwide Licensing and Merchandising for New Line Cinema. “For The Golden Compass, that company is SEGA." "We are confident that SEGA will create a compelling interactive experience that fully realises the power and magic of The Golden Compass,” said Deborah Forte. “We’re thrilled to be working with SEGA.”

The Golden Compass revolves around a young girl named Lyra as she sets out to find her missing friend Roger. Lyra’s quest leads her to the beautiful splendor of the icy North, where giant armoured bears rule a kingdom, witch queens fly through the frozen skies, and the secret of another universe is waiting to be uncovered. The Golden Compass is an imaginative, original saga about the eternal struggle of good versus evil and the power of a young girl to change the world.