24 game set for mobiles
By Kate Bulkley
Monday July 25, 2005
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24: Although without the Jack Bauer character, the mobile 24 game will include all the other elements of the series |
The full-on drama of the TV show 24 will be unleashed in the form of a game for mobile phones early next year.
Under an exclusive two-year deal, I-Play has licensed the rights to create, publish and distribute a series of mobile games, wallpapers and ringtones, based on the 24 television series owned by Twentieth Century Fox.
"It is one of our biggest franchises to date. We are looking to bring the intensity, intrigue and addictiveness of the TV series to the mobile," said David Gosen, the chief operating officer of I-Play.
The mobile 24 game being developed by the UK games company will include all the other elements of the series.
It is hoped the show's familiarity will help it to attract a wider mobile gaming audience.
"Our mission at I-Play is to take mobile gaming to a mass market and 24 with its appeal to both men and women, young and old really gives us a chance to do some real-time innovation," said Mr Gosen.
I-Play, formerly called Digital Bridges, will work with San Diego, California games developer Sandcastle Studios on the new 24 games and there will be close collaboration with the show's script writers, who are working on the fifth season set to air early next year.
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Jack Bauer, played in the TV show by Keifer Sutherland |
The first mobile games and related mobile products, such as the iconic CTU telephone ring, will be released to coincide with the launch of the programme's fifth series, which airs on Sky One in the UK.
Fox Mobile Entertainment licensed the 24 franchise to I-Play. "They came out on top across the board on all three of the elements, the financial piece, their creative vision and their strength in distribution," said Leighton Webb, the vice president of wireless licenses for Fox Mobile Entertainment.
Mobile gaming is already a $2bn-plus business worldwide, but according to new research, only 5% of mobile phone users have downloaded a game to their phones.
Some 30% of respondents in the five-country survey said they were not sure if their phone could download games.
Independent researchers Skopos found that 17.5% of respondents in the UK, Spain, Italy, Germany and the US have never downloaded a game because they did not know how to do it.
