The deal represents the first time Agatha Christie Ltd. (a Chorion company) has granted a license to a computer games developer to originate role-playing mystery games.
A series of five as-yet-to-be-determined PC games will be developed over the next six years for worldwide release and will be published The Adventure Company, the world’s leading publisher of adventure games.
“There can be no stronger signal of the enduring popularity of Agatha Christie’s works than their continued adaptation to other mediums,” says Mathew Prichard, Agatha Christie’s grandson and Chairman of Agatha Christie Ltd. “Adapting her stories for completely new formats, such as PC gaming, allows us to introduce classic mysteries to whole new audiences and keep them relevant into the decades to come.”
“Today’s partnership unlocks the gameplay inherent in Agatha Christie’s elaborate plots and turns players into interactive sleuths,” added Richard Wah Kan, CEO of DreamCatcher Interactive Inc. “The addition of these titles to our line-up solidifies our commitment to Adventure gaming and will surely strengthen our position as the leading Adventure game publisher.”
According to the latest figures from the North American market research firm, The NPD Group, retail sales of PC game software in the US topped $1.2 billion in 2003. The total console, portable and PC game industry was $11.2 billion, just 4 percent off the record $11.7 billion in 2002.