Paramount To Expand Video Game Business

Officials from major movie studio Paramount have confirmed that the company is to expand its games and interactive division, with plans to more directly oversee and finance future games, based both on new Paramount movie properties and films from its back catalog. In an article in Hollywood trade paper Variety, Paramount senior vice president of interactive and mobile Sandi Isaacs commented, “We are entering into deals now where we will be publishing games this year.” Isaacs indicated that some titles, none of which were named, would be self published and others co-published with existing or new partners. Emphasizing the importance of a flexible business model, Isaacs also indicated that some games would be fully funded by Paramount and some part funded by third party publishers. Paramount’s focus will initially be on casual, handheld and mobile games, which the company sees as less of a risk given the smaller production costs compared to a full budget Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 title. According to the Variety report, ex-Activision veteran Matt Candler, who has also worked at developers Grind Games, Seven Studios and Six Studios, has been brought in as vice president of interactive development and will handle relations with developers and overseeing the adaptation of film properties into games. Former Sega executive Luke Letizia will also join the expanded department as executive director of interactive licensing to oversee projects licensed to external publishers. The revelations follow similar moves at rival Warner Bros., including the acquisition of British developer Traveller’s Tales, to expand the company’s influence in the video games market and take more direct control over titles based on licensed properties.