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Wham-O gets video gamed

By Tina Benitez -- Gifts and Dec, 7/31/2007 10:00:00 AM

EMERYVILLE, Calif.—Wham-Ohas signed FOG Studios to exclusive worldwide licensing rights to develop video games based on popular Wham-O toys.

Under the multi-year agreement, FOG Studios, New Brunswick, Canada, will extend Wham-o's products like Frisbee, Slip ‘N Slide, Hula Hoop and Hack Sack into video game version that are compatible with the Nintendo Wii game console as well as games for Nintendo's upcoming Balance Board. Initial games are expected to be complete in the next 12 to18 months.

Chris Guirlinger, director of licensing for Wham-O tells Playthings that the company is getting alot of interest in the product now. "There's alot of pent up demand," he says. "We're expecting to take Frisbee, Hula Hoop, Hacky Sack and our other outdoor activity brands and develop them into interactive video games to work on console, PC and portable gaming devices. With the advent of the Nintendo Wii there's alot of technology in the controllers now. Games are so active, so it lends itself to that platform or device where you use that kind of controller."

Guirlinger adds that there was some initial concern over entering into the video games realm, particularly since Wham-O has always been a company that has prided itself in making toys that get kids off the couch and away from the TV or game screen. "With our past interactive games we were sort of aiding and abetting with this," he says. "But I think as kids played the game, they'll said 'hey, playing Frisbee on screen is fun, I wonder how it would be to really play one. Now, with motion-sensing controllers, kids will have to get up and move even if they’re playing our video game. I think it’s a perfect confluence of technology and our brands."

Fog Studios will showcase Wham-O licensing opportunities next month at the Leipzig Games Convention as well as at the Austin Game Developer's Conference and the Tokyo Game Show in September.

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