Yogi Bear video game to be released for Nintendo DS and Wii

D3Publisher (D3P), a publisher and developer of interactive entertainment software today announced a worldwide licensing agreement with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment for Yogi Bear: The Video Game. Yogi Bear: The Video Game will be for Wii and Nintendo DS and is slated for worldwide release this holiday season in conjunction with the big screen release of the all new movie Yogi Bear. Yogi Bear will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

'Where The Wild Things Are' to be released this Fall on XBox 360, Nintendo DS and Wii!

Inspired by the highly-anticipated Warner Bros. theatrical release based on the best-selling children’s book by Maurice Sendak, Where the Wild Things Are lets players take on the role of Max as he journeys across the land of the Wild Things, which is on the brink of destruction. Max must join forces with the Wilds Things to find a way to escape to safety before it’s too late.

Where the Wild Things Are is a fun-filled adventure that takes players on a journey through the mysterious island of the Wild Things. Players assume the role of Max, “King of All Wild Things,” as they team up with the fearsome but loveable creatures. While journeying across their island, players learn amazing new skills and abilities. Solve action puzzles, overcome challenging obstacles, and play through a unique story narrative to uncover the mystery behind the hostile island and save the Wild Things before it’s too late!

At any time during the game players have the opportunity to explore the Wild Things’ Village and play through a variety of mini-games, interact with the creatures, and let their imaginations run wild! Where the Wild Things Are takes players on a unique and exciting journey beyond the movie, and brings to life one of the most beloved picture books of all time.

• Rule the Island - Play as the mischievous Max, become King of All Wild Things, and join The Wild Things in their quest to find a way to safety before it’s too late!
• Frolic in the Wild Things Village – Explore the Wild Things’ Village to meet all of the different creatures, play through mini-games, and acquire power-ups from each character.
• Make ‘Wild’ Friends - Befriend and team-up with these fearsome but loveable mythical creatures – discover their unique personalities and learn new skills and abilities from them.
• Discover the Undiscovered – Run, jump, climb, glide, fly and swing your way across the island’s dangerous terrain while battling fierce creatures with your trusty sceptre.
• Wander through Wild Worlds – Adventure across the mysterious island while tackling exciting unique worlds filled with fierce insects, shadow creatures and hazardous obstacles around every turn!
• Experience Extended Adventures – Go beyond the movie to play through a unique story narrative– exploring never-before-seen environments.
• Collectible Crusade – Search for more than 400 collectibles each associated with a Wild Thing. Collect enough and unlock special rewards inside the Wild Things Village!

Batman: Arkham Asylum website is now live!

The official website and community hub for DC Comics’ Batman: Arkham Asylum - the forthcoming action-adventure game developed by Rocksteady Studios and published by Eidos, Inc. and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment in North America has officially launched! You can visit the page at the following URL: http://www.batmanarkhamasylum.com/.

Over the coming months BatmanArkhamAsylum.com will be the main resource for all the latest news and information on the game; including the new screenshots, videos and announcements, along with features and insider content such as developer blogs, interviews, podcasts and more.

The site will also serve as the primary hub for the Batman: Arkham Asylum Community, housing the official game forums - where you can speak directly to the team working on the game, enter competitions, and stay up-to-date with all community news and activity.

Based on the core Batman license, Batman: Arkham Asylum takes the Dark Knight on his greatest challenge yet when he becomes trapped with all of his most dangerous villains inside the insane asylum of Gotham City - Arkham Asylum! With amazing graphics and a moody, immersive setting, Batman: Arkham Asylum exposes players to a unique, dark and atmospheric adventure that takes them to the depths of Arkham Asylum – Gotham City's psychiatric hospital for the criminally insane. Gamers will move in the shadows, instigate fear amongst their enemies, and confront The Joker and Gotham City's most notorious villains, who have taken over the asylum.

Be sure to check the game’s new website regularly for updates. You won’t want to miss out!

For more information, please visit: http://www.batmanarkhamasylum.com/

The £100m 'geek'

A SELF-confessed 'geek' who spent his teenage years playing computer games in his bedroom has sold his company - for around £100m.

Jon Burton invented his own video games but he struggled to sell them to software companies. But since setting up his own business in 1989 he has sold more than 42 million copies.

The Cheshire-based firm Traveller's Tales became one of the world's biggest independent game developers creating titles based on Star Wars, Toy Story, The Muppets, Finding Nemo and Sonic the Hedgehog for industry giants such as Sony, Sega and Pixar.

It was renamed TT Games after merging with publisher Giant Interactive Entertainment in 2005. The company on Toft Road, Knutsford, is best known for its success with Lego Star War.

Jon, 38, admitted `geeking' away most of his free time writing games. He has now agreed to sell the business to Warner Brothers for about £100m over five years. He owns 80 per cent of the company with the rest of the shares held by his management team. Jon said: "After 18 years in the video games industry, the opportunity to become a meaningful part of the world's leading entertainment company is the fulfilment of a dream."

He developed an interest in computers in the early 1980s. Initially, his games were rejected but he then got a job with a games developer before setting up on his own.

His company has a total staff of 200 across the country and has offices in Ireland and Serbia following two acquisitions.

TT Games said the deal `promised an exciting future' for the firm and its staff. Titles in the Lego pipeline include Batman and Indiana Jones.

Warner Brothers, part of the world's largest media company Time Warner, bought the business to expand into the computer games industry. It is its first purchase of a British computer games company.

Barry Meyer, chairman and chief executive of Warner Brothers, said: "TT Games is very successful and respected in the game development and publishing world. They are a great fit for us and the right next step for Warner Brothers."

Just last month it unveiled a partnership to launch an entertainment `hub' in Abu Dhabi, with plans to create £237m fund for video games development.

Warner Brothers Home Entertainment president Kevin Tsujihara said: "The expertise that TT Games brings is a great match with our brands as well as an opportunity to effectively leverage our existing global infrastructure."

Source: Manchester Evening News

Hollywood studio buys UK games developer

Warner Bros has signalled its intention of expanding more aggressively into the video games industry with the acquisition of TT Games, the UK publisher of the LEGO Star Wars series which has sold 12m copies around the world.

The deal, for an undisclosed sum, will give Time Warner’s Hollywood studio a stronger in-house capacity for developing game spin-offs of its film franchises, but will also allow it to create video games which are unrelated to its movies.

“We’re very serious about building this [games business],” said Kevin Tsujihara, president of Warner’s Home Entertainment Group, adding that TT would be the “cornerstone” of its games plans. “There will be a number of pieces of the puzzle. This is an important piece but it’s not the whole puzzle.”

The deal comes as media groups are becoming increasingly interested in the video games business, as one of the few sectors to have shown consistent growth through a period when the growth of the internet has disrupted other media business models.

The TT Games acquisition follows September’s announcement of a multibillion-dollar partnership to develop an entertainment hub in Abu Dhabi, which included the creation of a $500m fund for video game development.

The transaction will secure a multi-million pound windfall for Jon Burton, TT Group’s controlling shareholder, who founded the company as Traveller’s Tales 18 years ago in the era of the Commodore Amiga and Sega Mega Drive.

The value of TT Games, based in Knutsford in Cheshire, had been estimated by one local newspaper at about £80m, making Mr Burton’s stake worth more than £60m.

The company’s family-friendly positioning was one reason for Warner’s attraction to TT Games, Mr Tsujihara said.

“TT Games is the leading video game developer for young gamers and their families,” he said, making it “a great match with our brands”, which would benefit from Warner’s global infrastructure.

TT Games is already developing its first title for Warner Bros, a LEGO Batman game, based on its Batman film franchise. It also develops for other studios, however, including Walt Disney and LucasArts, maker of the Star Wars films.

Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment, the games division created in 2004, will maintain its license agreements with other games companies such as Electronic Arts and Eidos, the group said.

TT Games was created in 2005 through the merger of Traveller’s Tales, one of the largest independent game developers, and Giant Interactive Entertainment, a games publisher started by LEGO.

It has sold over 12m copies of its two Star Wars titles, “LEGO Stars Wars: The Videogame” - published in 2005 - and “LEGO Star Wars 2: The Original Trilogy”, released in September 2006.

“After 18 years in the video games industry, the opportunity to become a meaningful part of the world’s leading entertainment company is the fulfillment of a dream,” Mr Burton said.

Source: FT