THQ EXPANDS WIRELESS GAMING INITIATIVES
Already videogame industry’s most aggressive player on wireless front, THQ expanded its wireless gaming initiatives this week in deal with Sony Ericsson (SE). As part of new gaming partnership, THQ Wireless subsidiary will develop premium licensed and nonlicensed gaming and entertainment for upcoming SE phones.
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Deal calls for THQ to provide embedded content as well as downloadable standalone and interactive content for phones, which will be based on mobile Java and future platforms. Game maker said it would “leverage its portfolio of key brands and licences upon these handsets with mechanisms to allow for further content delivery or unlocking via existing and emerging mobile communication standards, such as SMS (Short Message Service) and MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) technologies.” Companies said partnership “forms an important part of both companies’ mobile entertainment strategies, and as part of the arrangement, THQ and Sony Ericsson will share selected road map information on technology, products, licensing and development, with content being available on Sony Ericsson devices on an exclusive or nonexclusive basis.” THQ and SE said they also would “investigate cross-fertilized marketing opportunities to further leverage content and mobile technology to audiences served by each company’s traditional core business.”
SE Content & Applications Vp Cyrus Allen said: “Commencing in 2002, with the advent of affordable color handsets, and growing rapidly in 2003, we see mobile entertainment as having enormous potential, particularly mobile gaming.” Availability dates and specific content weren’t provided.
THQ Wireless Commercial Dir. Adam Comiskey said “providing embedded content for Sony Ericcson’s advanced phones will enable mobile phone users around the world to engage in high-quality interactive content irrespective of which network they subscribe to.”
Separately, THQ said it started shipping GT Advance 2 -- Rally Racing for Game Boy Advance (GBA) handheld game system at $29.99. THQ was #1 3rd-party publisher for Nintendo’s handheld system last year, ranking it wants to repeat this year. Everyone (E) rated title was developed for THQ by Japan-based MTO. THQ and Sega also announced release of Teen (T) rated The Pinball of the Dead for GBA at $29.99, developed by Sega’s WOW Entertainment. Title -- latest in THQ’s exclusive GBA co- publishing deal with Sega -- was inspired by Sega’s House of the Dead game franchise, also developed by WOW. Companies announced start of exclusive multititle co-publishing agreement in Oct. calling for THQ to co-publish 16 GBA games featuring Sega brands through 2003 throughout N. America. Pinball was one of first 6 games announced at that time, although it had working title of The House of the Dead Pinball.
THQ also started shipping E-rated racing game MX Superfly featuring Ricky Carmichael for PlayStation 2 at $49.99, backed by multimillion-dollar marketing campaign including national TV and print ads and extensive on-site event marketing and product sampling. Version of title for GameCube is to follow June 24 and Xbox version in Nov. Game was developed by THQ subsidiary Pacific Coast Power & Light. TV spots targeted at 12-34-year-old males are to run on Comedy Central, E!, ESPN, ESPN2, FX, MTV, NBC, TBS, TNN, TNT, UPN. Five-month print campaign is to appear in mass market, gaming and motocross publications.