March 26th, 2008 by Arjan Olsder Posted in Brand Licensing | 1 Comment »
In a new licensing deal with Endemol US, I-Play managed to take over the Deal or no Deal brand for the development and distribution of mobile games.
Deal or no Deal, just like many other Endemol brands, can be licensed only on a per country basis as the broadcasters have to agree and get their share of the action. As so, the Endemol based mobile games never got as big as their TV series.
Even when Endemol owned mobile game developer Overloaded, they never managed to reach true success in the mobile gaming business. Overloaded made mobile games under the Deal or no Deal, Fear Factor and Big Brother brands.
Though I-Play licensed only a single country, the US should be big enough to make the title financially interesting. Next to that, it could be a win-win situation for I-Play owner Oberon Media if they expand the mobile game to other platforms in the US.
Don Ryan, SVP of publishing for Oberon Media, said: "We’re very excited to be working with Endemol USA to take Deal or No Deal mobile in the US. It’s a hugely popular license that appeals to a broad audience with a highly addictive format, with a lot of suspense in the show itself, which is going to translate well to the mobile version."
Previously, Mobliss did the Deal or no Deal mobile games in the USA. Deal or no Deal originated from Holland where it was part of a bigger TV show.
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