Team17 confirm first partners

It hasn’t taken long for the hugely popular videogames franchise Worms™ to connect with merchandise licensees and retailers. Worms™, which celebrated its 15th anniversary in 2010, is a bestselling, award-winning and hilarious turn-based strategy videogame with so many assets that are great for merchandising. Gaya Entertainment and IGS Corporation are the first licensees to join the initial merchandising push for Worms™ across Europe which will see initial products ranging from large plush and squeezies through to beanies, keyrings, and ceramic mugs marketed. Team 17 expect the initial products will be available later this year.

With such quirky characters, cutely designed and bursting with personality, the potential for plush Worms™, Worms™ toys and figures is a huge untapped market. Alan Perrie, Head of Global Marketing, Team17 Software Ltd says, “Even the weapons have more personality than some video game characters, with classics like the Super Sheep, Concrete Donkey, and Banana Bomb. We, like many others, can’t wait to get our hands on the first plush products”.

Simon Kay, Business Development Director of licensing agency, AT New Media continues, “We are so thrilled with the response to this opportunity and in a competitive market. However once you get immersed in the world of Worms™, merchandise licensees begin to see the vast potential and also the points of differentiation that make it a great option with all the core elements for merchandising and longevity fully present.”

Across multiple product categories, the ability to customize the Worms™ with a ridiculous array of hats, hair, hands and glasses; its extensive variety of crazy, surreal and hilarious weaponry, and its hilarious audio, with a large number of memorable catchphrases and taunts shouted by the worms during the course of battle, such as..."I'll get you!", "Revenge!", "Stupid!", “Traitor!”, “Incoming!” and "You’ll Regret That!” is very exciting.

With millions of players and fans, its irreverent mix of ludicrous action-strategy captivates and entertains audiences of all ages worldwide. With number 1 hits on Xbox™LIVE Arcade, PlayStation® Network, Apple’s App Store, Steam for PC, and with exciting new titles yet to be announced, this is set to roll and roll.

Additional licensing agreements will be announced shortly covering additional plush, toy, and collectible product categories.

WORMS™ BRAND FACTS:

• The Worms™ brand has sold more video-game units, year on year, for the last 3 years than ever before.
• The Worms™ brand continues to innovate and grow, with major future games releases planned on the mobile stores, Xbox™ LIVE Arcade, PlayStation®Network, PC and also onto online social networking platforms.
• The Worms™ brand offers excellent licensing opportunities as it has enduring appeal over 15 years, is seen as a true legend of gaming brands, has won numerous awards, and often features in “Best Video-games of all time” polls and articles.
• The Worms™ brand has strong generational appeal and also parental approval and recognition – parents who played the game in the 1990s now have children playing the current versions on their smart-phones and other devices.
• Worms™ has especially strong appeal to the boys’ 7-12 merchandise market because of the cheeky humour, crazy characters and anarchic weapons and destruction.