Tomy Expands Games Publishing, Announces First Two Titles

Toy company Tomy Corporation is expanding its consumer software business, planning to publish its own video games in North America and Europe, the company announced at the Tokyo Game Show. Tomy plans to create multiplatform releases based on its popular toy brands and licensed characters, as well as original intellectual properties tailored for the Western market. The company has already expanded game publishing operations at its headquarters in Santa Ana, California. The first two games to be released under the new strategy will be Lovely Lisa for the Nintendo DS and Penny Racers Party: Turbo-Q Speedway for the Wii. The company will also continue to publish Naruto games for Nintendo platforms, as it has previously done. The U.S. Tomy Corporation is a subsidiary of the Japanese Takara-Tomy. Although both Tomy and Transformers creator Takara have dabbled with games publishing both before and after their merger, games have never been a focus of either’s business. The company even blamed the success of the Wii and DS for its disappointing financial results last year. "With our expansion as a vertical publisher in North America, we are dedicated to bringing gamers quality titles on next-generation systems that entertain and inspire families and kids of all ages," said Tomy president Kaz Sugiyama. "We are proud that Tomy’s two new games are based on principles and play patterns that parents can feel good about sharing with their children."