Le studio montréalais de jeux vidéo Ludia vient d’être acheté par le plus important producteur d’émissions de télé du monde, l’entreprise britannique FremantleMedia, qui est derrière les succès d’American Idol et de The Price Is Right. La transaction sera annoncée officiellement ce matin.

L’un des secrets les mieux gardés de l’industrie montréalaise du jeu vidéo, Ludia produit des jeux inspirés d’émissions de télé. La PME installée dans le Vieux-Montréal possède les droits d’adaptation du livre Où est Charlie et de 13 émissions de télé, dont The Price Is Right. Ses jeux sont particulièrement populaires sur la console Wii de Nintendo, sur Facebook et sur les téléphones portables intelligents.

Le cofondateur et président de Ludia, Alexandre Thabet, soutient que la transaction est de bon augure pour l’avenir de l’entreprise. Il n’y aura pas de mises à pied parmi les 115 employés – bien au contraire. «Il n’y aura pas de différence, hormis que nous intégrons un groupe qui a plus de moyens. Nous ne sommes pas intégrés à une entreprise de jeux vidéo qui va nous dicter ce que nous allons faire. FremantleMedia n’a jamais fait de jeux vidéo et s’attend à ce qu’on prenne le leadership», dit Alexandre Thabet en entrevue à La Presse Affaires.

Le grand patron de Ludia, entreprise fondée en 2007, connaît les risques d’être avalé par un plus gros poisson. En 2003, Alexandre Thabet a vendu une autre entreprise de jeux vidéo (Hexacto) à un studio concurrent. «L’expérience a été bonne, mais on est quand même devenu un studio de conception pour une autre entreprise», dit-il. [...]

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Interactive entertainment company Ludia and FremantleMedia Enterprises (FME) today announced the availability of the Press Your Luck game for the PlayStation(R)3 computer entertainment system on the PlayStation(R)Network. Based on the classic Press Your Luck television game show, PS3(TM) owners can now play as one of three contestants competing to win by correctly answering trivia questions to earn "spins" on the Big Board. The player who ends the game with the highest earnings emerges victorious- all the while trying to avoid the dreaded Whammy or risk losing all winnings. Players can enjoy a thrilling online multiplayer Press Your Luck experience as they compete against friends and/or other players from across North America via the PlayStation(R)Network. Additionally, multiplayer local and solo game play is also supported.

"Ludia is excited to bring the humor and family entertainment of Press Your Luck, starring the famously mischievous ‘Whammy’ character, to PlayStation(R)3 systems via the PlayStation(R)Network," said Alex Thabet, Founder and CEO of Ludia Inc. "This latest release is another captivating addition to our slate of game show games for PS3(TM), and serves to further augment Ludia’s multiplatform strategy."

MONTREAL, CANADA December 16, 2009—Interactive entertainment company Ludia and FremantleMedia Enterprises (FME) today announced the launch of the Family Feud game for iPhone® and iPod touch® on the App Store.

Based on one of the most successful and beloved family game shows of all time, iPhone and iPod touch owners can now play anywhere, anytime as the leader of a ‘family’ in a contest to name the most popular answers to survey questions posed to 100 people. The game features all of the favorite elements of the show as played on television, including the scoreboard, face offs, strikes, stealing and ‘fast money’ rounds. Players also can enjoy Family Feud in multiplayer mode as they challenge family and friends head-to-head, or compete solo against the computer.

"We are excited to bring Family Feud, one of the most popular TV game shows and one that holds a consistently strong fan base, to devotees of the iPhone or iPod touch," said Alex Thabet, Founder and CEO of Ludia Inc. "This Family Feud game release reinforces our strategy of delivering high quality products on the most popular devices so that people can have great game experiences in all the places they like to play," he added.

Family Feud for iPhone and iPod touch features:

• Two game modes: single player and multiplayer.
• Fully customizable player avatars- choose hairstyles, clothing, accessories and more.
• Predictive text input and auto spell checker make typing answers lightening fast.
• Unlock bonus items as a reward for progress in the game.
• Authentic stages, theme music and sound effects create a true-to-show game experience.

"After more than three decades on television, the Emmy-award winning Family Feud is truly one of the most enduring game shows," said Olivier Delfosse, Director, Interactive, FremantleMedia Enterprises, licensor for the program. "We are pleased to extend the franchise to innovative devices like the iPhone and iPod touch so that new and existing fans of the show can have a Family Feud experience wherever they are."

Family Feud is available for $4.99 on the App Store on iPhone and iPod touch or at www.itunes.com/appstore/

About Ludia Inc.
Ludia creates and distributes cross-platform interactive entertainment with mass consumer appeal. Located in Montreal and founded by experienced industry players, Ludia’s innovative and high-quality product portfolio consists of original and branded properties including American Idol®, The Bachelor & The Bachelorette, Family Feud®, Hell’s Kitchen™, Press Your Luck, The Amazing Race™, The Price Is Right™ and Where’s Waldo?®.
www.ludia.com

ABOUT FREMANTLEMEDIA ENTERPRISES & FREMANTLEMEDIA
FremantleMedia is one of the leading creators and producers of entertainment brands in the world. FremantleMedia is part of the RTL Group, Europe’s largest television and radio broadcast company, which is in turn 90 percent owned by Bertelsmann AG, one of the world’s major media and entertainment companies. FremantleMedia’s worldwide production arm is responsible for many of the world’s highest rated prime time entertainment, drama, serial drama and factual entertainment programmes. FremantleMedia Enterprises is the brand extension arm of FremantleMedia, offering a one-stop-shop for all Licensing, Distribution and Home Entertainment around the world. The FremantleMedia Group (which includes talkbackTHAMES, UFA and Grundy amongst others) has operations in 22 countries, one of the most comprehensive global networks, creating over 14,000 hours of programming a year, rolling out more than 60 formats and managing over 300 individual titles. FremantleMedia has some of the world’s most sought after and long running formats in its catalogue, and globally, produces such programmes as: Idols (co-produced with 19 Productions in the US), The X Factor (co-produced with Syco in the UK), Got Talent (co-produced with Syco in the UK and the US), Neighbours, The Bill, Family Feud, The Price is Right, Farmer Wants A Wife and Hole In The Wall.
www.fremantlemedia.com

About "FAMILY FEUD"
Taped in Los Angeles, FAMILY FEUD is produced by FremantleMedia North America and distributed in the U.S. by Debmar-Mercury. Gaby Johnston is executive producer. Ken Fuchs is director.

About FREMANTLEMEDIA NORTH AMERICA
FremantleMedia North America (FMNA) is the U.S. production division of global media giant FremantleMedia. Based in Burbank, California, FMNA produces entertaining and innovative programs for network, cable, syndicated and online platforms, including the Emmy-nominated musical/reality phenomenon "American Idol" (FOX), "America’s Got Talent" (NBC), "Can You Duet" (CMT), "The Chilli Project" (MTV), "Secret Girlfriend" (Comedy Central), "Let’s Make A Deal" (CBS), "Family Feud" (syndicated), "Million Dollar Password" (CBS), and the longest-running game show in television history, "The Price Is Right" (CBS).

Trademarks belong to their respective owners.

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For press inquiries, please contact:

Eva Jando
Ludia, Inc.
(514) 313-3370
eva@ludia.com

For FME:

Bjorn Trowery
Edelman PR
212-704-4556
bjorn.trowery@edelman.com

 After leading the App Store’s top grossing charts for three consecutive weeks, Activision’s Call of Duty: World at War Zombies drops to second place in today’s rankings. Ludia’s iPhone adaptation of the Where’s Waldo? series of puzzle books tops the App Store’s charts by revenue and by volume in its first week of release.

EA’s iPhone port of Dragon’s Lair is on the move after an impressive debut last week, taking third in today’s results. Recent releases like Illusion Labs’ Labyrinth 2 and Sega’s Super Monkey Ball 2 also place high in this week’s charts, as PopCap’s Bejeweled 2 holds steady at fifth place.

Montreal’s interactive entertainment company Ludia  and CBS Consumer Products will create video games based on the“The Amazing Race” television series.

The North America-wide deal turn sthe  seven-time Emmy award-winning show into a multi-platform experience in its 14th season.

“The heart-pounding adventure, around-the-world competition and postcard worthy settings of ‘The Amazing Race’ are perfectly suited for video game adaptation,” said Alex Thabet, Founder and CEO of Ludia, in a release. “We are thrilled to add such a high-energy, suspenseful franchise to our slate, and we will infuse those key elements into a highly social, team-based multiplayer game that unites duos in cooperative game play to compete against rivals.”

FremantleMedia, one of the largest creators and producers of global entertainment brands, today announces a strategic minority equity investment in Ludia, a leading developer and publisher of interactive casual games based in Montreal, Canada. The deal is part of FremantleMedia’s ongoing expansion into the high-growth video games market. It also follows a range of new growth initiatives by the company’s new business unit, FremantleMedia Ventures, and represents the division’s first equity investment.

“Ludia has rapidly carved out a unique position in the competitive video games market by combining a strong focus on quality, exceptional technology and a multiplatform strategy. The company’s leadership team is outstanding and has a strong track record in the industry,” said Christian Schneider-Sickert, FremantleMedia’s Director of Operations and Strategy, who will be joining Ludia’s board.

Interactive entertainment company Ludia Inc. and Entertainment Rights jointly announced today that Ludia will create video games based on publishing phenomenon and ultimate world traveler, Where’’s Waldo®. Through the exclusive multi-year deal, the pop culture icon will leap from the pages of his best-selling books to engaging new games for consoles, PC/Mac, iPhone and iPod touch?for the first time ever. The first in the game series, “Where’s Waldo: The Fantastic Journey” is slated to launch across several major platforms later this year.

…

Where’s Waldo video games will feature all of the treasured scenes and characters from the classic books, brought to life in a unique hidden-object adventure that is intrinsic to the brand. Now, families can JOIN THE SEARCH! with up to four players in several different themed environments, competitive or cooperative game modes, as well as jaw-dropping power-ups and rich rewards systems.

Interactive entertainment company Ludia and online game property WildTangent today announced a broad advertising sales agreement. WildTangent will be the exclusive in-game advertising and sponsorship representative for Ludia’s 2009 game titles including properties licensed from FremantleMedia Enterprises (FME), the brand extension arm of FremantleMedia, such as American Idol(R) — Online Challenge, Price Is Right(TM) 2 and Press Your Luck(TM). The deal extends across all supported formats including the PC, Macintosh, Nintendo(TM) Wii and DS and the iPhone and iPod touch. FME will also continue to sell sponsorships across the whole spectrum of its interactive and brand portfolios through its Integrated Marketing and Sponsorship division.

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Ludia creates and distributes cross-platform interactive entertainment with mass consumer appeal. Ludia’s innovative and high-quality product portfolio consists of original and branded properties, including American Idol(R), Hell’s Kitchen(TM) and The Price Is Right(TM). Based in Montreal, Canada and founded by experienced industry players, Ludia completed its first round of financing from private investors in 2007.

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