Endemol Makes Foray into Social Gaming

LONDON: Endemol is rolling out a new social game based on the hit game-show format Deal or No Deal, starting with a launch on Facebook in the U.K. this month. 

Deal or No Deal Live! will be free to play, funded by advertising and sponsorship. The game will allow multiple players to compete against each other at the same time with the same boxes. Unlike the TV version, which has one game with one set of boxes, Deal or No Deal Live! is played over four games, with different boxes in each. Players must try to make the best deal possible in each game, and the winner is whoever has the most money at the end of the four cycles. 

This is the first time Endemol has entered the social gaming market, and plans are expected for similar projects with other global formats. Deal or No Deal Live! will be followed by further launches in other territories and on other social networks in 2010. 

Peter Cowley, the global head of original digital productions at Endemol, commented: “Deal or No Deal is just one of Endemol’s many global brands that can seamlessly cross over to social gaming. This version of the format delivers fun, addictive gameplay that anyone anywhere can enjoy for free and we hope this month’s launch will be the first of many in this space.”