Crispy Gamer News

Well, if a company is going to make educational games, who better to do it than National Geographic? Earlier today, Ted Prince, chief operating officer of National Geographic Ventures and executive vice president of operations for National Geographic Global Media officially announced the formation of a new division, National Geographic Games, which will publish and develop games across major gaming console, handheld, online and mobile platforms.

National Geographic Games is led by a team of industry vets. Paul Levine, senior VP at National Geographic Ventures, will lead the new division. Chris Mate, formerly an executive at Take Two Interactive and Bethesda Softworks, has joined as vice president and general manager for NGG and will oversee and manage the group’s daily global operations.

“The launch of our games division furthers National Geographic Venture’s cross-platform strategy of creating and distributing unique consumer experiences and content on multiple platforms and devices,” said Ted Prince. “Paul’s strong background in cross-platform media, interactive entertainment and business building and development combined with Chris’ expertise in the video game industry and product development will ensure that National Geographic Games extends our mission globally and makes the National Geographic brand more meaningful to a broader audience.”

“By leveraging National Geographic’s leading family brand, core themes and franchises, and its unique content that drives our mission-forward strategy, NGG will create fun games that allow gamers of all ages to experience and explore their world through play,” said Levine. “Our global audiences love to play games, and we plan on creating games in-house as well as working with leading global publishers to develop entertaining games that engage those audiences in a relevant way.”

According to the announcement, National Geographic Games will work with premier game publishers and developers to “create fun, high-quality games based on National Geographic’s core themes and media properties to extend National Geographic’s mission of inspiring people to care about the planet and reach a new generation of consumers and families.” The new division has already set up a publishing and distribution deals with Namco Bandai Games America and Sony Computer Entertainment for National Geographic-branded titles on major gaming consoles and handheld devices, including the Wii, DS, PlayStation 3, PCs, and mobile devices.

“National Geographic Games has brought authenticity to the kind of family gaming we’re developing with them,” said Andrew Lelchuk, executive vice president of sales and marketing for Namco Bandai Games America Inc. “Our collaboration is enabling us to tailor the content, so we can offer games to our customers that are relevant, entertaining and that bring a unique experience only the National Geographic brand can deliver.”

Tags: Educational, Industry, Namco Bandai, National Geographic, Sony