Epic Games is one of the most successful independent game developers out there, with hit titles such as Gears of War or Unreal Tournament under its belt. The company has survived a lot of hardships but now it is riding a big wave of profit, which will increase with the upcoming release of Gears of War 2.

All of this success has created a lot of rumors on the Internet concerning a possible acquisition of the independent studio by big game publishers like Microsoft, with which Epic worked together for the Gears of War franchise, or Electronic Arts. But none of these rumors covered the possibility of the shooter-oriented developer being acquired by a movie studio. Legendary Pictures, the movie studio in question, is now collaborating with Epic Games and New Line Cinema on the Gears of War movie.

This speculation appeared after Thomas Tull became the chairman of Legendary Pictures, being very interested in games and the companies that develop them. His previous studio, Brash Entertainment, also worked on game-based movie projects but, after some financial troubles, he was forced to quit the company. Now, it would seem that Tull might be in a position to actually make an offer to the game developer, though as of yet no official comment has been issued by Legendary Pictures.

Contacted by Variety, Epic Games only stated that the companies were working together for the Gears of War movie and that it was looking forward to other projects together with Legendary. "We have publicly announced that Epic and Legendary are partnering on the "Gears of War" movie. We’re very excited about that project and have the highest regard for Thomas Tull and his organization."

Although Epic might be interested in being acquired, it will surely demand a very high price. After all, its Intellectual Properties like Gears of War or Unreal Tournament are extremely popular, though one of the most important assets is the Unreal Engine, which powers the graphics of quite a lot of titles, including BioShock and Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway.