Under the new agreement, THQ will publish and distribute the games while Stephen Youngwood, Vice President of Nickelodeon Interactive and Book Publishing, will manage the relationship from the Nickelodeon side. Both companies are presently accepting and evaluating game submissions.
"Videogames are becoming increasingly important to kids. As such, original videogames are the next step for Nick to deepen its relationship with our audience. By launching innovative, E-rated original titles, Nickelodeon hopes to attract gamers of all ages," said Jeff Dunn, chief operating officer, Nickelodeon, and president of Nickelodeon Enterprises.
This year, the companies will release their first titles based on several different Nickelodeon properties, including "Rocket Power", "SpongeBob SquarePants" and "Wild Thornberrys". THQ will also create games for "Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius", Nickelodeon's newest franchise that will debut as a motion picture in December and as a TV series in Fall 2002.
Thus far, THQ and Nickelodeon have worked together to create the
Rugrats titles for PlayStation, Nintendo 64 and Game Boy Color. THQ's Rugrats videogame library did sales of over 4 million units in the U.S. alone, with retail sales of over $125 million.
