Twentieth Century Fox Licensing and Merchandising announced the expansion of the thriving FAMILY GUY licensing and merchandising program through two new agreements with videogame industry giant Take-Two Interactive Software and wireless content leader Airborne Ent. Take-Two has the rights to produce all-new videogames for multiple platforms under the 2K Games label, while Airborne Ent. will introduce new mobile phone content. The licensing and merchandising program for FAMILY GUY continues to prosper thanks to a fanatical fan base that has contributed to heavy sales of licensed merchandise and incredible DVD sales that have far exceeded expectations with more than three million units sold to date.
"FAMILY GUY is totally unique in the licensing business having found its 'sweet spot' the second time around," said Peter Byrne, evp of Fox Licensing and Merchandising. "There's an insatiable demand for merchandise currently, but we are taking a very long term view of building FAMILY GUY into a major franchise for the studio on multiple levels".
The new agreement with Take-Two's 2K Games will introduce the Griffins to gamers everywhere with a new videogame title for multiple platforms. In the game, being developed as a third person action/adventure, players will take on the role of multiple characters such as Stewie, Brian the Dog and Peter, the hapless patriarch, as they interact with many of the citizens of Quahog. The game is slated for release in 2006.
"Take-Two has unparalleled experience in reaching what is the core FAMILY GUY demo and we are really excited to be collaborating with them on bringing the Griffins to the gaming community," said Byrne.
In addition, Fox's deal with Airborne Ent. will allow fans to download an ever-expanding array of wallpapers, wireless games, applications and animated ringers directly to their mobile phones. FAMILY GUY wireless content will be available this spring in anticipation of the show's re-launch on primetime FOX May 1, 2005. Additional FAMILY GUY products from Airborne Ent. will be released throughout the year and will reflect the themes and events of specific episodes.
"Airborne Ent. is at the cutting edge of wireless entertainment and share the true vision of the show. The great thing with wireless is that you can have an on-going dialogue with the consumer, which plays into the relevancy of FAMILY GUY in the everyday lives of its fans," said Byrne.
A recognized industry leader, Twentieth Century Fox Licensing and Merchandising licenses and markets properties worldwide on behalf of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp., Twentieth Television and Fox Broadcasting Co., as well as third party lines. The division is aligned with Twentieth Century Fox Television, one of the top suppliers of primetime entertainment programming to the broadcast networks.
Headquartered in New York City, Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. is an integrated global developer, marketer, distributor and publisher of interactive entertainment software games and accessories for the PC, PlayStation, PlayStation 2, PSP, Xbox, Nintendo GameCube and Game Boy Advance. The company publishes and develops products through its wholly owned labels Rockstar Games, 2K Games and Global Star Software; and distributes products in North America through its Jack of All Games subsidiary. Take-Two also manufactures and markets videogame accessories in Europe, North America and the Asia Pacific region through its Joytech subsidiary. The company maintains sales and marketing offices in Cincinnati, New York, Toronto, London, Paris, Munich, Madrid, Vienna, Milan, Sydney, Breda (Netherlands) and Auckland. For more information, visit www.take2games.com.
Airborne Ent. is a leading publisher of entertainment content for mobile phones. The company creates, packages, and distributes games, lifestyle applications, messaging services, ringtones and graphics in conjunction with the world's most recognizable media and consumer brands. Airborne's distribution network comprises all tier-one North-American mobile operators, reaching nearly 100% of enabled mobile subscribers, as well as a growing number of mobile subscribers in foreign markets. For more information, visit www.airborne-e.com.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
