Talpa acquires stake in succeful identity games

Talpa acquires stake in successful identity games Laren/Rotterdam, 30 August 2012

Talpa Holding N.V. is acquiring a substantial interest in games company Identity Games. The synergy between the two companies is such that a number of plans have been taken into development immediately. The iPad game board the GameChanger, available in stores from October, is a key binding factor between the two parties. Identity Games has been developing games for both the corporate and consumer markets for 20 years. The Rotterdam-based company has won the Toy of the Year award on numerous occasions.

Talpa is first and foremost a true creative developer, and thats exactly what we are, says Emile Kalis, creative director at Identity Games. Talpa devises and produces television programmes and we do the same with games and games apps, which makes us a perfect match. Identity Games can be an extension into the living room for Talpa.

Talpas interest in Identity Games was sparked by the development of the GameChanger, the electronic game board for the iPad. With the GameChanger, Identity Games is taking playing with and on tablet computers to the next level, says Talpa CEO Pim Schmitz. The integration of television, games and apps is moving rapidly. Tablets and smart phones are the second screen and, as producers, we want to make the best possible use of the potential they offer. People at home want to do more than just watch television programmes; they want to participate. But we also see opportunities for a great new board game based on the I Love My Country format, for instance, says Schmitz.

Identity Games will work intensively with Talpa departments such as Content and Digital. The company will be looking at all Talpa formulas to see which they can use to produce games products. Formats such as The Voice, I Love My Country and Battle Of The Sexes are clearly fantastic family show formulas that can be used as a basis for games and other related products, says Erik Spindler, managing director of Identity Games. It has been done in the past, but we intend to do this structurally. And we dont just mean in the Netherlands and Europe, because this certainly brings the US market a step closer for us.

Identity Games had a hectic year last year, when it incorporated the iPad into board games, with the approval of the Apple head offices. The GameChanger we developed is a completely electronic games board in which you place the iPad. Kalis explains. From that moment onwards, the iPad becomes an interactive part of the board. This is a new platform and it allows you to make new versions of existing board games, but you can also develop entirely new games. This makes the iPad a sort of We-Pad, says Spindler, because its truly social and for the entire family. The GameChanger will hit the stores in the Netherlands in October.

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