The publisher might lose WWE, but it will have exclusive access to Nickelodeon's franchises until 2010.
THQ Named Nickelodeon's Master Interactive Licensee Through 2010; Companies Renew One of Industry's Most Prolific Relationships
Companies Announce Key Brands for Fiscal 2006
CALABASAS HILLS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 25, 2004-- Nickelodeon, a division of Viacom Inc.'s (NYSE:VIA) (NYSE:VIA.B) MTV Networks, and THQ Inc. (NASDAQ:THQI) today announced that they have extended their long-standing master interactive licensing agreement through 2010. The exclusive worldwide partnership grants THQ rights to continue to publish games based on all existing and future animated TV and movie properties targeting kids ages 6-14 across all viable game systems.
"Since the inception of our partnership in 1998, THQ and Nickelodeon have pioneered kids gaming, releasing six number one titles and selling through more than 20 million units worldwide," said Leigh Anne Brodsky, President, Nickelodeon and Viacom Consumer Products. "THQ has been a great partner to date and we look forward to building our videogame business into an even more important category for Nickelodeon."
"As proud as we are of our many achievements over the years, we are even more excited about what the future of this partnership holds," said Brian Farrell, President and CEO, THQ. "Nickelodeon's ability to identify, develop and market the best content for kids is unparalleled. We are thrilled with the ongoing success of brands like SpongeBob SquarePants and our jointly developed 'Tak' property and look forward to growing our business with the launch of several new Nickelodeon properties including Barnyard and Danny Phantom."
THQ and Nickelodeon Successes:
THQ and Nickelodeon first partnered for the 1998 release of Rugrats for the original PlayStation. Since then, the two companies have launched games based on more than 10 leading Nickelodeon brands in the interactive space including Jimmy Neutron, Nicktoons, The Fairly OddParents and the ubiquitous SpongeBob SquarePants. Through their unprecedented "games first" agreement, THQ and Nickelodeon launched original cross-media property "Tak and the Power of Juju" in October 2003 followed by its sequel "Tak 2: The Staff of Dreams" earlier this month. The two companies look forward to the worldwide cross-platform release of "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie," to coincide with the first ever SpongeBob SquarePants theatrical release, this holiday. THQ develops and publishes wireless content based on selected Nickelodeon properties through a separate agreement with Nick.com.
THQ and Nickelodeon Announce 2005/2006 Key Brands:
THQ and Nickelodeon's fiscal 2006 line-up includes SpongeBob SquarePants, The Fairly OddParents, Nicktoons and Tak across multiple platforms; as well as games based on Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movie's holiday 2005 theatrical release, The Barnyard Movie. The two companies will also release games based on Danny Phantom and everGirl.
For more information about upcoming THQ and Nickelodeon projects, as well as THQ's other initiatives, please visit www.thq.com.