National Geographic forms games branch

Publishing and distribution agreements have already been reached with the North American arms of Namco Bandai and SCE, who will publish National Geographic: Panda and National Geographic: Africa respectively. NGG’s first self-published title will be National Geographic: King Herod.

The firm states that NGG aims “to create a new way to reach consumers and families with a message of caring about the planet”. It will be headed by VP of National Geographic Ventures Paul Levine with former Take 2 exec Chris Mate handling day-to-day operations.

Levine said of the announcement: “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.”