Visiware in Interactive TV Games Deal with Universal Studios

French interactive TV games company, Visiware, has signed an agreement with Universal Studios Consumer Products Group that will see it developing a series of ITV games based on the latter's properties. The first projects to result from the agreement will be two ITV games based on the new "King Kong" movie: 1) "Kong: The 8th Wonder of the World Quiz," which will feature 200 questions about the movie, along with stills and behind-the-scenes images, and which will allow viewers to compete against each other or the clock; and 2) an arcade game, also called "Kong: The 8th Wonder of the World," which will present viewers with an adventure that takes place in Skull Island (the fictional location where the giant ape is discovered) and New York City, and that features characters and environments from the film.

Visiware says that the deal will see it developing a catalog of interactive TV games based on other Universal properties, a number of which will launch within the next six months. All the games developed under the partnership with Universal will be offered on Visiware's Playin'TV ITV games channel, which the company says is currently available on 33 networks in 77 countries (note: NBC Universal says that one of the primary factors in its decision to partner with Visiware was the latter's "global footprint"). "Interactive Television is a key part of NBC Universal's Digital Media strategy," NBC Universal's director of ITV technology product development, Jon Dakss, said in a prepared statement. "We see the interactive television games space as an emerging market with an abundance of opportunity. We are excited to be partnering with Visiware to allow television viewers to interact with our content in entertaining new ways."

In other Visiware news: the company has deployed a number of its games on T-Online Vision, the IPTV service of German telecommunications company, T-Online. T-Online Vision customers can first try out a selection of the games free-of-charge in a special Trial Games area; they then have the option of playing individual games for €0.99 each, or of subscribing to the "Online Vision Games Club," which provides them with unlimited access to 10 or more sports, action, adventure, puzzle, board and card games for €2.95 per month. Top-scoring players of the paid games can enter their names on a leaderboard, while players of the free games have the option of entering their names for €0.10 per entry.

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