This should be interesting.
Marvel MMO Deal Signed (link)
Gazillion to bring Marvel super heroes to massively multiplayer gaming audiences!Been waiting for massively multiplayer (MMO) games featuring your favorite Marvel characters? Wait no more, True Believers. Coming soon, you'll be able to interact with Marvel characters like never before!
Gazillion Entertainment today unveiled a key partnership to develop MMO games based on Marvel Entertainment properties.
"Gazillion is thrilled by the opportunity to introduce a series of massively multiplayer games for Marvel fans worldwide," said Rob Hutter, President and CEO of Gazillion. "Without any question, the chance to work with the incredible library of 5,000 characters in the Marvel Universe—not to mention the creative leadership working across the comics, animated series, movies and every other media form where Marvel reigns supreme—is an exhilarating opportunity for any videogame company."
With team members from Apple, Blizzard Entertainment, Microsoft Game Studios, Pixar Animation Studios and many other leading companies, Gazillion has assembled talent from across the landscape of MMOs, console videogames, animated feature films and technology to address the mission of building breakthrough MMOs capable of resonating with wide audiences.
Gazillion's new licensing agreement with Marvel calls for the development and publishing of MMO games featuring Marvel's iconic universe super heroes.The first game in development is a casual MMO for younger audiences based on Marvel's Super Hero Squad property. Super Hero Squad features an exciting, super-stylized look for the greatest Super Heroes, including Iron Man, Hulk, Wolverine, Thor, Fantastic Four, Captain America and many others.
"Marvel has brought an incredible insight to this project, and that is the goal of creating a full range of persistent world experiences for the entire audience base," Hutter added. "We're planning on launching separate games but as additional games are released, they'll share various levels of connection. The unprecedented nature of Marvel's multiple MMO strategy not only guarantees an amazing lineup of Casual and AAA MMO games, but further makes it possible for new and dedicated followers alike to interact in a connected series of massively entertaining experiences. We're also underway on a major new Marvel Universe PC and Console MMO that will introduce a number of breakthrough features which we'll start discussing in the upcoming months here at Marvel.com."
"Marvel's library features a large and world-renowned stable of characters, making it tailor made for massively multiplayer entertainment that will appeal to a wide audience eager for more opportunities to interact with these iconic character franchises," said Simon Philips, President, Worldwide Consumer Products for Marvel Entertainment. "Gazillion's excellence in casual and AAA MMOs makes this an ideal partnership to fully leverage this powerful entertainment arena, bringing fans an exciting, interactive experience with the Marvel brand."
