Xiaolin Showdown Shacks Up With Konami
Never heard of it? You will. Oh, you will... MUHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAA
Published: July 26, 2005
Few licenses are as coveted as the Sucessful Kids' Cartoon. It's a near-guarantee of sales thanks to well-meaning parents trying to give their kids something that has to do with the stuff they quizzically watch their children recite and discuss with a near-religious fervor, which means publishers can sing "cha chinnnnng!" all the way to the bank.
Or at least that's how it would work in a perfect capitalist society. It's been proven time and again that all of us in the gaming press (or us, who like to pretend we're part of the gaming press) don't make a lick of difference for most sales numbers, but we do tend to bitch and moan when it comes to quickly spat out licensed games.
Yes, that's the kind of lead-in we're giving the announcement of Konami's acquisition of Xiaolin Showdown, but don't think we're making any sort of call yet. The very notion that Warner Bros. would part with the license for a top 10 TV show (among the a buy-a-licious 9-14 demographic) and give it to just any publisher when someone like naked bridge jumper Jason Hall, former head of developer Monolith, is a the helm of the WB's games division is preposterous. Shame on you for thinking it!
Xiaolin Showdown is the continuing adventures of Kung Fu monk Omi, who cavorts across the world with three wee dragons-in-training in an effort to find and protect mystical power objects called the Shen Gong Wu. Their competition on this mission is the Evil Boy Genius and his henchmen. And now you can impress your kids.
"Warner Bros.' Xiaolin Showdown has exhibited tremendous momentum since its launch in North America in 2003, and the program has all of the elements to make an exciting video game,” opined Konami's Kazumi Kitaue, Chairman and CEO. "As the property mixes fantasy and adventure with action and comedy, it also fits extremely well with Konami’s strong catalog of anime and mass market franchises."
"The increasingly popular, action packed Xiaolin Showdown is an ideal property to bring into the interactive space," gushed Jason Hall, Senior VP of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. "The game will feature new, hilarious adventures based on the show, allowing fans and gamers to interact with and play as their favorite characters."
There you have it. You now know everything there is to know about the latest Konami license. Also, Microsoft Word doesn't recognize Xiaolin as a real word. Now you know two things!
Or at least that's how it would work in a perfect capitalist society. It's been proven time and again that all of us in the gaming press (or us, who like to pretend we're part of the gaming press) don't make a lick of difference for most sales numbers, but we do tend to bitch and moan when it comes to quickly spat out licensed games.
Yes, that's the kind of lead-in we're giving the announcement of Konami's acquisition of Xiaolin Showdown, but don't think we're making any sort of call yet. The very notion that Warner Bros. would part with the license for a top 10 TV show (among the a buy-a-licious 9-14 demographic) and give it to just any publisher when someone like naked bridge jumper Jason Hall, former head of developer Monolith, is a the helm of the WB's games division is preposterous. Shame on you for thinking it!
Xiaolin Showdown is the continuing adventures of Kung Fu monk Omi, who cavorts across the world with three wee dragons-in-training in an effort to find and protect mystical power objects called the Shen Gong Wu. Their competition on this mission is the Evil Boy Genius and his henchmen. And now you can impress your kids.
"Warner Bros.' Xiaolin Showdown has exhibited tremendous momentum since its launch in North America in 2003, and the program has all of the elements to make an exciting video game,” opined Konami's Kazumi Kitaue, Chairman and CEO. "As the property mixes fantasy and adventure with action and comedy, it also fits extremely well with Konami’s strong catalog of anime and mass market franchises."
"The increasingly popular, action packed Xiaolin Showdown is an ideal property to bring into the interactive space," gushed Jason Hall, Senior VP of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. "The game will feature new, hilarious adventures based on the show, allowing fans and gamers to interact with and play as their favorite characters."
There you have it. You now know everything there is to know about the latest Konami license. Also, Microsoft Word doesn't recognize Xiaolin as a real word. Now you know two things!
