Sony announces plans for a new James Bond mobile game

Gaming - 08-10-09

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is preparing a new batch of mobile games that’ll take advantage of the latest generation of smart phones, announcing a slate of games based on movies and TV shows, including James Bond, Jeopardy! and The Three Stooges - reports VideoBusiness.

Sony unveiled its mobile game slate today at the International CTIA Wireless I.T. & Entertainment convention. Games will be available worldwide on everything from the iPhone and Blackberry to the new Palm Pre.

The studio will update two of its most popular games—Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy!—with new social networking features that allow users to compete against friends on Facebook and other networks. Sony also will occasionally push new content to gamers tied to theme weeks on the TV shows, allowing the studio to cross-promote the games and TV shows. Wheel is slated for a February release; Jeopardy! is due in March.

Also due are games tied to some of next summer’s tentpoles. In The Three Stooges iPhone game, not tied to the movie being released by MGM in the U.S., players can join the gang and punch, poke and slap Larry, Curly and Moe with video clips from Stooges shorts. The app is due in May.

In June, the studio will release a Karate Kid game tied to the new Kung Fu Kid with Jackie Chan. Angelina Jolie spy thriller Salt will get a game spinoff on the Fourth of July. Sony also is planning a new James Bond: 007 game, but hasn’t announced a release date or details.

SPHE VP of worldwide mobile entertainment Kara Bilkiss said the studio is focused on creating games for four to six TV and movie titles each year, rather than putting out a high volume of games. The studio also has licensed properties from others for games, if the property doesn’t compete with Sony’s movie and TV lineup.

Over the last year, the studio has released a slew of games tied to its theatrical movie slate: 007: Quantum of Solace, Angels & Demons, 2012 and Zombieland.

Bilkiss said the latest generation of smart phones has changed the games business. Not only that, the mobile install base is so big that the studio can reach a much broader base of users than it can through game consoles.

“Everyone has a mobile device,” Bilkiss said. “What’s really critical is the experience people are able to have from the game now. Two years ago, devices were so limited.”

Pricing on mobile games vary by phone and mobile carrier. For example, Wheel of Fortune is available for a one-time fee of $4.99 on the iPhone, but through other carriers, its price ranges from $2.99 to $7.99.

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