Nickelodeon once again justifies our nation’s voting age restrictions, as Guitar Hero World Tour comes out at the top of a rather sad nominee pool at the 2009 Kids’ Choice Awards.

Not that Guitar Hero World Tour isn’t a fine game, and out of the four nominees it could certainly be argued from a certain perspective that it was the best. When the nominees are Guitar Hero World Tour, Rock Band 2, Mario Kart Wii, and Mario Super Sluggers, it’s probably best to just close your eyes and hit a button.

The final group of four games to be considered for the coveted Favourite Video Game award were determined by Nickelodeon viewer survey, more than likely limited to T for Teen rated games and below, which would explain the lack of games more deserving of the title. I cannot imagine how many children were disappointed by the lack of Fallout 3, Grand Theft Auto 4, Gears of War 2, and Fable II on the ballot.

With such limitations put on their choices, how does choosing Guitar Hero World Tour prove that children shouldn’t be allowed to vote? It doesn’t. Choosing Jesse McCartney over T-Pain in the Favourite Male Sing category does. Come on kids, he’s on a boat!

2009 Kids’ Choice Award Winners [Nickelodeon]

M. Night Shyamalan is even making a live-action movie called “The Last Airbender” based on the series, to debut in July 2010. With Avatar interest at an all-time high, Nickelodeon seems to have decided the time was right to make an MMO that serves as a “prequel” to the TV series.

Regardless of how you feel about Nickelodeon cartoons, this is actually an immensely cool idea — when Nickelodeon re-airs episodes of Season 3 in the fall, fans tuning in will get episode-specific hints from the TV show about unlocking things in-game. Having a multiplayer online game that runs concurrent with a TV experience is a great way to encourage players to be more involved with both game and show, I think.

Full announcement follows the jump. By the way, which TV show would you most love to have a tie-in MMO going on with?

NICKELODEON UNVEILS NEW AVATAR MULTIPLAYER ONLINE GLOBAL GAME IN SEPTEMBER

Gaming Event Continues Momentum Following Highest-Rated Series Performance Ever, the Avatar Season Three Finale

NEW YORK-July 25, 2008-Fresh off of its highest-rated performance ever on TV, Nickelodeon will treat Avatar: The Last Airbender fans to a unique experience this September with a brand-new, multiplayer global online game. In the game, Avatar: Legends of the Arena, which will serve as a prequel story to the series, players can create their own Avatar character and test their skills against players from around the globe in several 3D online arenas. Each game level will introduce and unlock new content, challenges, custom character outfits and more on an ongoing basis. The global game will live on a dedicated website http://www.avatarlegends.com and the beta version of the game http://www.tinyurl.com/5j6j6j* will be unveiled at Comic-Con International in San Diego on July 25.

“The launch of this multiplayer online game gives Avatar fans the opportunity to immerse themselves in the storylines during and beyond its tenure on-air,” said Jason Root, Senior Vice President of Nick.com. “This property has always had a deep online connection with its audience and the game offers a natural extension of the franchise to keep fans engaged with the property indefinitely.”

The global gaming event, which represents Nick.com’s (http://www.nick.com) first 3D multiplayer online role play game, will take place in 81 markets in ten languages, including: the United States; United Kingdom; Australia; New Zealand; India; Southeast Asia; Canada; Mexico; Argentina; Spain; Italy; France; Korea; Japan; Israel; Holland; Northern Belgium; Germany; Brazil; and Portugal. A total of 77 countries will launch the game on Sept. 15, with the remaining markets launching through the following months (non-domestic territories will vary).

Each 3D online arena within the game will host battles featuring up to four players at a time, but combat isn’t the only focus of the experience. Players will also be able to engage in role play, building their characters through training and arena duels. As players advance, they can upgrade their characters, unlock new bending moves, and acquire outfits and other exclusive equipment to make them the envy of others.

The animated series, Avatar: The Last Airbender, has inspired M. Night Shyamalan’s “The Last Airbender”, a live-action epic adventure from Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies which will debut in domestic theatres July 2010. Series’ creators Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko will serve as executive producers on the film.

This fall, Nicktoons Network will serve as the on-air home for Avatar: The Last Airbender, and will feature a Sept. Avatar event and season three episodes of the series throughout Sept. and Oct. Additionally, Nicktoons will offer fans a chance to get in on the Avatar game, asking them to tune in on Fridays at 6:30 p.m. for episode-specific hints that will unlock exclusive content in Avatar: Legends of the Arena.

Available on DVD July 29, Avatar: The Last Airbender – Book 3: Fire – Volume 4 features the kid hero’s return to the Fire Nation to prepare for a final confrontation with Firelord Ozai. Fans will also have a chance to get their game on with Avatar The Last Airbender:Into the Inferno, a new action adventure video game from THQ, in stores this fall.

Launched in February 2005 on Nickelodeon in the US, the epic story of Avatar: The Last Airbender follows the journey of Aang (Zach Tyler Eisen), a 12-year-old boy torn between fulfilling his fate as the long-awaited Avatar and just wanting to be a regular kid. The Avatar season three finale, Sozin’s Comet, recently earned the series its highest ratings ever. The previous week’s season three new premiere episodes reached a total of 19 million total viewers (P2+). Avatar is a top ranked show on Nickelodeon’s international channels, and is number one on Nick in Holland and Germany.

DiMartino and Konietzko serve as executive producers of Avatar: The Last Airbender. DiMartino is an award-winning filmmaker and has worked on the prime-time animated series King of the Hill, Family Guy and Mission Hill. Konietzko was a character designer for Family Guy, assistant director on Mission Hill and King of the Hill and a storyboard artist and art director for Nickelodeon’s Invader Zim.

About Nickelodeon

Nickelodeon, now in its 29th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books, magazines and feature films. Nickelodeon’s U.S. television network is seen in more than 96 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for 14 consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B).

The Nickelodeon Kids and Family Games Group includes all of its gaming initiatives, both paid and subscription, for online, PC, handheld and console, and will be led by senior VP and GM Dave Williams. It also includes Nickelodeon’s Addicting Games and Shockwave sites, for which the company recently promised 1,600 new casual games in 2008. The company will be seeking new game developer and publisher partnerships under this division.

The virtual worlds group, which includes the company’s Nicktropolis and Neopets online worlds for kids, will be led by Neopets SVP Kyra Reppen to support its kids and family-friendly online worlds efforts and casual MMOs. Nickelodeon has several virtual worlds in the works based on Nickelodeon IP as well as existing properties.

Full release follows the jump.

NICKELODEON KIDS AND FAMILY GROUP FORMS NEW

GAMES AND VIRTUAL WORLDS DIVISIONS

Dave Williams Named Senior Vice President and General Manager, Games Group;

Kyra Reppen Tapped as Senior Vice President and General Manager, Virtual Worlds Group

NEW YORK-June 17, 2008-To provide its audiences with more innovative gaming and virtual world experiences, Nickelodeon Kids and Family Group has formed new Games and Virtual Worlds Groups. Dave Williams will run the Games Group and Kyra Reppen will lead the Virtual Worlds Group, both under the title of Senior Vice President (SVP) and General Manager (GM). The announcements were made by Steve Youngwood, Executive Vice President, Digital Media, to whom Williams and Reppen report.

“With these two dedicated teams, our new gaming and virtual world divisions will further enable us to create even more relevant content and foster innovation in the virtual world and gaming spaces,” said Youngwood. “Dave and Kyra have built great momentum in their respective areas, and will provide more engaging experiences for our audiences in their expanded leadership roles.”

The Nickelodeon Kids and Family Games Group will encompass all paid and subscription gaming initiatives across all relevant platforms including: online and CD-ROM games; handheld and console games; and will include the company’s dedicated casual games sites, Shockwave (http://www.shockwave.com) and AddictingGames (http://www.addictinggames.com). It will focus on the creation of games for the entire family around existing and new properties. The company recently announced it would add 1,600 new games in 2008 to its library of 5,000 games and an investment of $100 million in the casual games space.

The Virtual Worlds Group will manage all company virtual world initiatives for kids, tweens, teens and families, including the original youth-oriented virtual community of Neopets (http://www.neopets.com), Nickelodeon’s online playground for kids, Nicktropolis (http://www.nicktropolis.com) – in partnership with the Nick.com team – and new virtual world destinations. The group will focus on the innovation of the company’s existing worlds with projects like World of Neopia (working title) and of the expansion of Nicktropolis with a premium layer. It will also develop original properties like the recently announced Monkey World.

Williams, based in San Francisco, will expand the company’s subscription game services, licensing and self-publishing businesses. He will grow offerings like the educational online gaming site myNOGGIN.com and Shockwave’s established subscription services, as well as develop new ones. Williams will also work in partnership with Nickelodeon’s Consumer Products division to increase the company’s retail games business around hit franchises like SpongeBob SquarePants and iCarly and newer, original properties like Shockwave’s Carrie the Caregiver. Another area of focus for Williams will be securing new partnerships with game developers and publishers.

In addition to his new responsibilities, Williams will continue to manage Shockwave and AddictingGames and plans to add more community features and new offerings to each to make them the preeminent social gaming sites. Under Williams’ guidance, AddictingGames has become the number-one independent gaming site for teens since February 2007, growing its library to more than 3,000 games. Shockwave, the original casual gaming site, has also flourished by focusing on family play and will add over 400 titles this year, including over 100 exclusive self published titles.

Following Atom Entertainment’s acquisition by MTV Networks in late 2006, Williams-formerly Atom’s Chief Marketing Officer and GM-was named to SVP, AddictingGames and Shockwave. Before Atom Entertainment and MTV Networks, Williams led the design and development of Rhapsody’s music service as Vice President of product management at Listen.com, was GM of music product management at Real Networks, and held senior product and marketing roles at CitySearch and DoubleClick.

Reppen, as the head of the Nickelodeon Kids and Family Virtual Worlds Group, based in Los Angeles, will spearhead the strategy, creative development and management of new and existing virtual worlds and casual massive multiplayer online games (MMOGs) for the company. These new virtual worlds will be based both on original concepts and existing properties.

In addition to her new responsibilities, Reppen will continue to manage Neopets. She will be responsible for evolving and innovating upon that site and will be responsible for expanding Nicktropolis, which will continue to add new environments to the site in the U.S. and launch a regionalized site in the U.K. over the next few months.

Over the past two years, since becoming the SVP and GM of Neopets, Reppen has grown Neopets to a registered user base of 45 million, maintaining its stickiness and status as the number-one tween virtual world in time spent, increasing its average per user to more than two hours and 20 minutes, according to comScore. She has expanded upon the site’s business model with its first major mass retail launch, converging the web experience with a consumer products line, and paid item sales. Reppen has also integrated the site into the Nickelodeon Kids and Family Group by developing mini-Neopets shorts for Nickelodeon and cross-platform marketing events such as Altador Cup. She completely redesigned the site incorporating user generated content, a video player, pet customisation and much more.

Reppen previously helmed NickJr.com as Vice President and GM, and was the creator and architect behind the ParentsConnect brand. She repositioned Nickjr.com from a television promotional site to the number-one website for parents of young children. Reppen also created and launched Nick Jr. Parents TV, the broadband video service for parents; spearheaded the educational site development of myNOGGIN; produced the first-ever 3D online games for preschoolers; and led the networks’ preschool introduction to wireless and interactive TV experiences. She began her career at Viacom in MTV Networks Law and Business Affairs and worked as a corporate associate in several law firms beforehand.

The Nickelodeon Kids and Family Group portfolio of digital sites which serve kids, tweens, teens, and parents, focus on the activities that its audiences participate in most online: gaming, socialization and community, and video. According to comScore (May 2008), Nickelodeon Kids and Family digital ranks as the number-one kids and family online destination in visits with more than 27.2 million unique visitors.

MTV Networks currently boasts 11 deeply engaging virtual world experiences that reflect its audiences’ favourite online activities, on-air franchises or personal interests, and include MTV’s Emmy-winning Virtual Laguna Beach and Neopets, the largest global youth-focused virtual world, among others.

Nickelodeon, n
ow in its 29th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books, magazines and feature films. Nickelodeon’s U.S. television network is seen in more than 96 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for more than 13 consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B).

THQ’s survived a series of hard knocks in the market thanks to the strength of its kid-friendly titles based on licenses from the likes of Nickelodeon and Pixar, even while its stock has taken a serious dive since January of this year. The company’s about to announce its fiscal fourth quarter results tomorrow – as a new year begins for THQ, is it on track for smoother sailing?

It’s been somewhat of a mixed bag for THQ over the last few months – the company saw a studio acquisition (Big Huge Games) at the beginning of 2008, while on the other hand, its Sandblast and Rainbow studios just recently saw layoffs, according to reports. While it’s canned a couple of its former key franchises, Stuntman and Juiced, it saw a boost in sales last quarter thanks largely to its WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008 and MX vs. ATV Untamed.

Thanks mainly to its family portfolio, though, THQ’s hung in there, and most analysts seem to believe the worst is behind the company, seeing them poised to climb in the year ahead thanks to more attractive licence opportunities for 2009 — for example, analysts frequently comment that they expect THQ’s upcoming game based on Wall-E to perform better than did the Ratatouille game, because robots are more likable than rats.

Both Cowan Group analyst Doug Creutz and Wedbush Morgan’s Michael Pachter expect THQ to remain a little conservative on its 2009 estimates, since it turned out to disappoint on last year. Still, Creutz says the publisher can outperform the overall market by 20 percent, while Pachter thinks it’ll stay in line with overall market growth of 10-15 percent.

So with games based on more Nick properties including The Naked Brothers Band: The Video Game, Tak and the Power of Juju, Avatar: The Last Airbender, SpongeBob Squarepants and Back at the Barnyard, THQ may turn a cautiously optimistic eye to the future — we’ll see when results and future guidance are revealed tomorrow.

For more details on THQ’s upcoming Nickelodeon portfolio, check out our earlier story. Note the “parkour-inspired” gameplay for the Tak and the Power of Juju game — everyone’s catching the parkour trend train, it seems.

THQ’s Nickelodeon Portfolio Surpasses Billion Dollar Mark as Company Announces Extensive New Lineup for 2008

First-Ever The Naked Brothers Band Video Game Puts Kids on Nationwide Concert Tour Where They Play Instruments, Control the Stage Shows and Create Music Videos

AGOURA HILLS, Calif.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—THQ Inc. (NASDAQ:THQI) today announced its upcoming portfolio of video games based on the company’s long-standing relationship with Nickelodeon. THQ’s longstanding partnership with Nickelodeon has resulted in sales of more than $1 billion and accounted for more than 50 million units worldwide.

This year’s feature titles include the video game debut of The Naked Brothers Band. The Naked Brothers Band: The Video Game (working title) is based on the highly rated TV show that follows the lives of a kids’ rock band fronted by real-life brothers Nat and Alex Wolff. In addition, SpongeBob SquarePants will take on a new creative form this year in Drawn to Life™: SpongeBob SquarePants Edition. Based on last year’s top selling Drawn to Life™ video game for Nintendo DS™, the game will allow players to draw their own characters and populate the world of Bikini Bottom with their own creativity. The 2008 portfolio will also include new games based on leading Nickelodeon TV shows Tak and the Power of Juju, Avatar: The Last Airbender and Back At The Barnyard. Nickelodeon fans can also look forward to a new installment of the popular Nicktoons.

“With the enormous popularity of Wii™ and DS coupled with our exceptionally diverse portfolio of Nickelodeon-based games, THQ continues to lead in family entertainment,” said Jim Huntley, director, global brand management, THQ. “Featuring new forms of gameplay such as the music-based The Naked Brothers Band and the drawing-based Drawn to Life: SpongeBob SquarePants Edition, we expect our upcoming titles to offer completely new ways for families to play together.”

“Gaming is one of the primary activities of our audience, whether it’s online or on the console,” said Steve Youngwood, Executive Vice President, Digital Media for Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids and Family. “THQ’s interactive video games based on our hit shows have continued to help Nickelodeon maintain its position as a leader in gaming entertainment for the family, and we look forward to the addition of these new releases to our library.”

The 2008 Nickelodeon portfolio is scheduled for release in Fall 2008 across multiple game systems, including the Wii™ video game console, the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system and Nintendo DS. For more information on THQ’s Nickelodeon titles and the rest of THQ’s family product lineup, please visit www.playthq.com.

The games are part of a $US 100 million investment by MTV Networks. MTV plans to spend $US 500 million on creating games for its websites through 2009 as well.

The whole thing is tied to the advertising packed into sites like MTV, Nick and Nick Jr. according to the article. Other games will allow player to try before they buy or include micro-transactions to make money.

Nickelodeon’s Game Plan: 600 Casual Games Being Developed; 185 Games Planned For Nick.com Alone [Yahoo]

Dance Dance Revolution
Guitar Hero
High School Musical: Sing It!
Madden NFL ‘08

There’s really not much I can say here. I mean, Guitar Hero is nice and all, but they just list Guitar Hero…not II or III. Same with Dance Dance Revolution. There are 20 bajillion versions of DDR out there. Pick one! Madden 08 just goes to show that they were running out of kid-friendly titles to nominate, and if High School Musical: Sing It! wins? I am driving over to my nephew’s house and smacking him upside the head just for associating with people his own age.

Kids’ Choice Award’s Official Nominee Announcement [Nickelodeon]

There’s a little more content in the press release we’ll put after the jump for you family folks, but I for one am going to hop on Live and waste money on content I’m sure that I could find for free somewhere. Actually, the only bummer is that the release doesn’t specify that the content can be rented, only “purchased.” And that catch decreases the “walletability” about 1000% in my eyes. Does anyone out there actually “buy” movies for download?

REDMOND, Wash. — Oct. 22, 2007 — Today Microsoft Corp. expands its selection of family-oriented programming on Xbox LIVE with more than 100 new episodes of popular Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. and Nickelodeon TV shows. Now families looking for the ultimate entertainment experience need look no further than Xbox 360.

More than any other next-generation video game console on the market, the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft offers a wide variety of fun-for-all content with more than 700 episodes of TV shows specifically for the family and more than 200 family-friendly games the whole household can enjoy. The company also introduced two new game titles, “SpongeBob SquarePants: Underpants Slam” and “SHREK-N-ROLLâ„¢,” based on the popular animation characters SpongeBob SquarePants and Shrek®, for Xbox LIVE Arcade, the premier destination to download high-definition games for Xbox 360.

“What’s Up, Doc?”

Starting today, Warner Bros. for the first time offers more than 50 episodes of the classic Looney Tunes library in high definition for on-demand download to own. Fans of all ages will be able to digitally download Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck episodes and all the other classic characters episodes directly to their TV via Xbox LIVE. In addition, 10 episodes will be available in Spanish.

“Looney Tunes cartoons have been family favourites for generations, and now everyone can download them anytime on Xbox 360,” said Michele Edelman, vice president of marketing for Warner Bros. Digital Distribution. “We are particularly proud to offer programming in Spanish as well as high definition, both of which help enhance the appeal of these great shows for Xbox 360 owners.”

Exclusive Content From Nickelodeon

Nickelodeon delivers three top shows to Xbox LIVE, also available today, including programming for the Nick Jr. hit series “The Backyardigans.” The show’s double-length “Super Secret Super Spy” episode featuring the vocal talents of special guest star Cyndi Lauper will be exclusively available for download on Xbox LIVE. In addition, kids of all ages can download the entire first season of the educational and imaginative, play-to-learn, top-rated preschool series “Blue’s Clues.” Tweens will love episodes of the network’s latest smash “iCarly,” as new episodes will be added to Xbox LIVE immediately after they air on Nickelodeon’s TEENick.

Xbox LIVE Arcade Adds New Family Games

Also being introduced today are new kid-friendly game titles, “SHREK-N-ROLL” and “SpongeBob SquarePants: Underpants Slam,” based on two of the most popular family icons in animation. These new games will both be available soon for download from Xbox LIVE Arcade.

“To truly entertain our audience, we know we have to seed our content on every platform they are using, and the Xbox 360 is a great entertainment console for our target demographic,” said Steve Youngwood, executive vice president of digital media for Nickelodeon-MTVN Kids and Family Group. “We’ve seen tremendous response to the Nickelodeon content already available on Xbox LIVE, and we expect ‘Blue’s Clues,’ exclusive content from ‘The Backyardigans’ and our newest TEENick series, ‘iCarly,’ to perform just as well.”

All these developments coincide with the announcement today of a new Xbox 360 console for families, Xbox 360 Arcade. Available in stores beginning today, the Xbox 360 Arcade console includes five arcade games, a wireless controller and 256 MB of memory — useful for storing games and entertainment content — all for an estimated retail price of just $279.99 (U.S. estimated retail price). Xbox 360 Arcade console invites everyone in the family to play and comes with five best-selling games: “Pac-Man Championship Edition” (NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc.), “Uno” (Carbonated Games), “Luxor 2″ (MumboJumbo), “Boom Boom Rocket” (Electronic Arts Inc.), and “Feeding Frenzy” (Sprout Games).

In addition to this great value, this holiday season families will have a selection of more than 200 “E”- and “T”-rated games appropriate for everyone from kids to teens for Xbox 360, including “BEE MOVIEâ„¢ GAME” (Activision), “Guitar Hero III®: Legends of Rock” (Activision), “Naruto: Rise of a Ninja” (Ubisoft Entertainment), “Scene It? Lights, Camera, Action” (Screen Life Games) and “Viva Piñata: Party Animals” (Krome Studios). No matter what type of content users decide to play or watch on their console, every Xbox 360 comes equipped with leading Parental Controls, known as Family Settings, to let parents control the access their children have to games and entertainment, as well as who they can play with on Xbox LIVE. More information about Family Settings is available at http://www.xbox.com/isyourfamilyset.com.

“We welcome our new partnership with 2K Play,” said Shaul Olmert, Vice President/Digital Media products for Nickelodeon and MTVN Kids and Family Group. “This is the first time Go, Diego, Go! is coming to handheld and console systems and will mark Dora the Explorer’s debut on the popular Nintendo DSâ„¢ system. We are excited to welcome 2K Play into our growing family of innovative digital products.”

I’ve not seen GDG (hip appreviation for children’s program), but Dora seems like a natural fit for the DS. Finally we can poke that bastard Swiper right in the damn eye. Everybody chant “Backpack” to get to the press release!

Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. Announces New 2K Play Publishing Label and Video Game Partnership with Kid’s Entertainment Leader, Nickelodeon

New label leverages growing casual game market

Nick Jr. Preschool Television Hits Dora the Explorer and Go, Diego, Go! lead new 2K Play portfolio of family-friendly games

New York, NY – September 10, 2007 – Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO) today announced the formation of 2K Play, a new publishing label dedicated to casual gaming. As part of the 2K Play initiative, Take-Two also announced an expansive new handheld and console video game licensing agreement with Nickelodeon, a partnership involving top-rated properties including Nick Jr. preschool television hits, Dora the Explorer and Go, Diego, Go!

Dora the Explorer and Go, Diego, Go! will be the first titles under the new 2K Play label and will be released this fall in North America. According to Nielsen ratings (4/2/07-7/1/07), Dora the Explorer and Go, Diego, Go! are the top two ranked television shows for kids 2-5. The NPD Group cites Dora the Explorer as the #1 toy licence in 2006 based on dollar sales and Go, Diego, Go! is now supported by over 300 licensees worldwide.

“We welcome our new partnership with 2K Play,” said Shaul Olmert, Vice President/Digital Media products for Nickelodeon and MTVN Kids and Family Group. “This is the first time Go, Diego, Go! is coming to handheld and console systems and will mark Dora the Explorer’s debut on the popular Nintendo DSâ„¢ system. We are excited to welcome 2K Play into our growing family of innovative digital products.”

2K Play joins leading publishing labels 2K Games and 2K Sports as a new division in the 2K portfolio. The new label will absorb Take-Two’s Global Star Software label, including the Carnival Games brand, the Cat Daddy Games studio and PC games based on the popular Deal or No Deal franchise.

“The 2K Play label targets the growing market of casual gamers interested in accessible, high-quality products,” said Christoph Hartmann, President of 2K. “It will be home to games that are fun and engaging for players of varied skill types and ages. Our exciting initiative with Nick Jr. will offer a host of games featuring world-famous brands that appeal to the family-friendly gamer.”

Additional information regarding the 2K Play lineup of games will be available in the coming months.