'Idol' Konami Bound
"America's number one television show" and former publisher Codemasters are no more.
Published: July 25, 2005
Much has been made about licensed video games, but most of them come from the silver screen rather than the small one. Kids' TV shows and cartoons aside, there aren't many tween or adult-oriented shows that manage to make the leap to video games, and with good reason; a playable version of The OC probably wouldn't go over too well.
That doesn't mean there aren't bankable properties out there, though. Game shows have always been fodder for a simple quick-and-dirty translation, and shows like 24 are even getting made into games (even if we'll probably never see it here, grrrrr). With 30+ million people turning in to see last season's American Idol finale, it's not a huge surprise that games would still be in the pipeline.
What is surprising, however, is that Codemasters has apparently either decided to drop the license or lost a bidding war with Konami (we're guessing it's the former), and the big K has decided to run with the game, distributing the game here in the States, up in Canada, and down in Latin America.
No developer has been announced yet, but given the beating that the Hothouse Creations-developed previous version took, Konami may be developing things internally or perhaps giving some love to our bestest best friends over at Harmonix, who have plenty of experience in crafting games like this with three Karaoke Revolution games under their belt.
"Not only is American Idol one of the biggest television programs in the U.S., but its format lends itself perfectly for making compelling video games,” beamed Konami CEO and Chairman Kazumi Kitaue. "With Konami’s leadership and expertise in music video games and American Idol's popularity and strength as a recognized franchise, this is a powerful synergy that will greatly benefit the consumer."
David Luner, VP of Licensing for FremantleMedia Licensing Worldwide (AI's co-producer and licensor), chimed in, "The Idols format has already proven itself successful in a variety of categories including electronics, toys & games, wireless and online applications. We look forward to establishing a solid presence in the video games market with an industry leader like Konami."
Aside from some minor chest beating in those quotes, we don't really know much about the game -- though we do know that Konami will be developing it (or at least has the option) for both current and next-gen titles. No telling how the boost in power on the next-gen systems will help the game, but then we don't really know anything about it right now. When it learn more, we'll keep you in the loop.
That doesn't mean there aren't bankable properties out there, though. Game shows have always been fodder for a simple quick-and-dirty translation, and shows like 24 are even getting made into games (even if we'll probably never see it here, grrrrr). With 30+ million people turning in to see last season's American Idol finale, it's not a huge surprise that games would still be in the pipeline.
What is surprising, however, is that Codemasters has apparently either decided to drop the license or lost a bidding war with Konami (we're guessing it's the former), and the big K has decided to run with the game, distributing the game here in the States, up in Canada, and down in Latin America.
No developer has been announced yet, but given the beating that the Hothouse Creations-developed previous version took, Konami may be developing things internally or perhaps giving some love to our bestest best friends over at Harmonix, who have plenty of experience in crafting games like this with three Karaoke Revolution games under their belt.
"Not only is American Idol one of the biggest television programs in the U.S., but its format lends itself perfectly for making compelling video games,” beamed Konami CEO and Chairman Kazumi Kitaue. "With Konami’s leadership and expertise in music video games and American Idol's popularity and strength as a recognized franchise, this is a powerful synergy that will greatly benefit the consumer."
David Luner, VP of Licensing for FremantleMedia Licensing Worldwide (AI's co-producer and licensor), chimed in, "The Idols format has already proven itself successful in a variety of categories including electronics, toys & games, wireless and online applications. We look forward to establishing a solid presence in the video games market with an industry leader like Konami."
Aside from some minor chest beating in those quotes, we don't really know much about the game -- though we do know that Konami will be developing it (or at least has the option) for both current and next-gen titles. No telling how the boost in power on the next-gen systems will help the game, but then we don't really know anything about it right now. When it learn more, we'll keep you in the loop.