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NGC launches games division

Indiantelevision.com Team

(18 November 2008 6:00 pm)

MUMBAI: National Geographic is entering into the video game business.

National Geographic Ventures (NGV) COO and National Geographic Global Media (NGGM) EVP – operations Ted Prince today announced the formation of National Geographic Games (NGG), the new gaming division.

Additionally, NGG plans to partner with major game publishers and developers to create high-quality games based on National Geographic's core themes and media properties.

NGG will operate within National Geographic's extended platforms group, headed by senior VP Paul Levine to publish and develop games across major gaming console, handheld, online and mobile platforms.

"The launch of our games division furthers National Geographic Venture's cross-platform strategy of creating and distributing unique consumer experiences and content on multiple platforms and devices," said Prince.

Meanwhile, NGG has partnered with Namco Bandai Games America and Sony Computer Entertainment to publish and distribute globally National Geographic-branded titles on gaming consoles and handheld devices, including the Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS handheld, PlayStation 3 and PS3 Network, PCs and mobile devices such as the iPhone.

The company will publish Herod's Lost Tomb, the first in-house game, which highlights content from the December 2008 issue of National Geographic magazine as well as its National Geographic Channel feature broadcast on the biblical figure King Herod, architect of the ancient world. The game will be available online in both a flash version free at nationalgeographic.com/channel and a downloadable game for PC, Mac and iPhone that includes full features and high production content.

Other future releases include National Geographic: Panda by Namco Bandai and National Geographic: Africa by Sony in November. Next month it will release in-house game Sudoku Traveler: China. Also the lineup for next year has Rain Forests, Greencity and From the Bottom Up.