Playboy Enterprises, announced a global licensing deal with ARUSH Entertainment in conjunction with Groove Games to create, market and distribute a set of interactive simulation video games. The first Playboy-branded game, which will be playable on multiple platforms including PC, Sony PlayStation 2 and Microsoft Xbox consoles, is targeted to be in stores in 2004.
The game, which is based on the world-builder simulation genre of video games, will allow players to walk in the slippers of Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, establishing and building the Playboy empire and living the ultimate Playboy lifestyle. ARUSH Entertainment recently published Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project and Hunting Unlimited and will publish Devastation in 2003.
We're delighted to work with ARUSH and Groove to develop this game and provide the Playboy audience with a new and exciting way to interact with our brand, said Alex Vaickus, President of Global Licensing, PEI. This deal marks Playboy's entry into the video game category and is a significant breakthrough for us as we expand the licensing of our brand in the entertainment arena.
In addition to game industry advertising and merchandising initiatives, ARUSH and Groove Entertainment will aggressively market the game in Playboy magazine and on Playboy.com to support the launch. Playboy readers spent over USD 300 million on video games over the last year with more than 3.1 million readers owning a video game system.
This unique new game based on the incredibly popular Playboy brand will enable game players to become their own Hugh Hefner, commented Jim Perkins, president and CEO, ARUSH Entertainment. This will be a fun, exciting experience that will challenge players to build their own virtual Playboy empire and live the fantastic Playboy lifestyle, appealing to video game enthusiasts and Playboy fans worldwide.
