Nickelodeon to Launch 1,600 New Games; New Content to Virtual Worlds; New Virtual Worlds

Last July, MTV Networks' Nickelodeon Kids and Family Group announced that it would invest $100 million over the next two years in casual gaming titles, sites and platforms. We're starting to see the fruits of that investment today. The company plans to launch three new virtual worlds as well as adding 1,600 new games over the next year to its existing 5000, some of which will be added on to current virtual worlds like Nicktropolis. "Our portfolio of digital brands is delivering fun and innovative gaming experiences for all of our audiences," said Cyma Zarghami, President, Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids and Family Group. "Because our gaming sites complement and serve the same breadth of audiences as each of our linear channels, we are now offering game experiences that range from educational content, virtual worlds to casual games that are both property driven and totally original."

Nicktropolis in particular will see over  20 single and multiplayer games in 2008, starting with 3D Slimeball. Neopets will also be seeing added content. It's already working on integrating an MMO-style game with toy tie-ins called Key Quest, but it will also see 25 new, exclusive content games.

Interestingly, Nickelodeon is also releasing a tool for users to create their own virtual world experiences. The-N.com Role Player builds off of roleplaying and collaborative stories that have been unfurling in The-N.com forums for years, but now users can create worlds, characters, and customizable avatars for their own games.

"We want to be the bookmark sites for each of our target demographics and we know that for our audiences, casual games are what they crave online," said Steve Youngwood, Executive Vice President of Digital Media, Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids and Family Group. "Not only do we want to entertain our audiences with a robust gaming portfolio and demo-focused gaming sites, but also tap into their creativity through game development tools to enhance the gaming community and help them entertain each other."

Ed. Note: MTV executives will be keynoting at Virtual Worlds 2008 in 2 weeks (April 3-4) in NYC.

Comments

[Izzy Neis]

This is the best news I've heard all week!

Glad to see Nickelodeon clarifying their intentions a bit more -- along with juicy tidbits for future awesomeness.

I look forward to their improvements and their new approaches to youth media & pushing the envelope for empowerment.