MUMBAI: National Geographic Film Library in the US has signed a licensing deal with Microsoft Game Studios.

Microsoft will be provided with a limited-edition, interactive DVD packed with 70 minutes of animal footage from National Geographic Channel’s Totally Wild wildlife series.

The DVD is currently packaged with the video game Zoo Tycoon 2 . It features short video segments of wildlife in its natural habitat, accompanied by factoids and trivia questions designed to supplement gamers’ interest in animal habitat and behaviour.

National Geographic Television & Film (NGT&F) VP film library Matthew White said, "Zoo Tycoon 2 provides a unique opportunity for us to showcase our award-winning wildlife footage and offer expertise based on our many years in the field researching the wild animals featured in the game. As we move forward in the interactive market, we’ll be looking for similar opportunities to marry our technical, editorial and scientific assets into products and applications that engage and excite individuals to learn more about the world around them."

In the Zoo Tycoon 2 game players build zoos and adopt animals. It has intuitive controls and fun tutorials that allow participants of all ages to engage in up-close, interactive experiences with their animals. Players can immerse themselves in the zoo experience with new features such as the Zoo Guest mode.

Here players can walk around and enjoy the game from a first-person point of view. Meanwhile Zookeeper mode allows players to interact with their animals as never before. Then there is Photo mode in which players can take pictures of their favorite animals and zoo guests and share them online with friends. A Zoopedia has animal facts.

Microsoft Game Studios publishes and develops games for the Xbox video game system, the Windows operating system and other online platforms.