Buffy the Vampire Slayer Game in the Works

CENTURY CITY, September 4:
Twentieth Century Fox Licensing and Merchandising and The Multiverse Network
are developing an original Buffy the Vampire Slayer massively multiplayer online game (MMOG).

The virtual world will be
based on the mythology and iconography made popular by the Emmy Award-winning
series. The MMOG will allow gamers to play in either a fully immersive 3-D
environment or as a flash-based 2-D game, where both types of players can
interact. The game will be launched within Multiverse Places, a new social
virtual world from Multiverse. Currently under development, the game will go
into beta testing later this year.

Created by Joss Whedon, Buffy the Vampire Slayer
aired for seven seasons. The series also inspired comic book and merchandising
lines. Fox Licensing and Merchandising continues to develop the brand for a
number of targeted programs.

“Every once in a while a
show comes along that lives long after its run on television, and Buffy the
Vampire Slayer is that kind of
show,” said Elie Dekel, the executive VP of licensing and merchandising for Fox
Licensing and Merchandising. “We think that creating this virtual Buffy world is the perfect extension of the brand and
will attract both fans of the show and newcomers interested in a great
experience online."

In related news, Fox’s
plans for the development of the previously announced Firefly MMOG have been delayed.

—By Jackie Stewart