String of CBS Series Get Video-Game Treatment

NEW YORK: CBS Consumer Products has teamed up with a number of casual-game developers and video-game publishers to extend the experience for eight popular TV shows, including The Amazing Race and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.

Ubisoft has developed CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: Deadly Intent, a game that features five cases written in part with writers from the series. The game is in stores for Wii, Xbox 360 and PC. Ubisoft also released CSI: Deadly Intent: The Hidden Cases for the Nintendo DS platform.

Available in 2010, The Amazing Race video game was developed by Ludia. The game, which takes players on an around-the-world journey, will be launched throughout North America across multiple platforms in tandem with the show’s 16th season. Midscape developed a game for Wii and Nintendo DS based on the hit Survivor series that features the same sort of immunity challenges from the show.

Merscom is releasing a video game based on Diagnosis Murder for early 2010. Available for PC and Mac, the game will have players finding different items in a scene to use as clues to solve a mystery. In the Criminal Minds game, from Legacy Interactive, players will take on the role of different members of the behavioral analysis unit to solve a series of crimes. The game is slated for launch in the fourth quarter of 2010 for PC. Also from Legacy Interactive, a video game based on Ghost Whisperer will be out in early 2010. Written by Emmy Award-winning television writer Lance Gentile, the PC game calls for players to embark on the adventure of helping the recently departed move on to the afterlife. The long-running game show Hollywood Squares is getting its first video-game adaptation, courtesy of Ludia. The North America-wide exclusive deal will result in games across major platforms, including PC and Mac, consoles, iPhone and iPod touch.

"These deals are perfect examples of our strategy to mine CBS’s deep portfolio of iconic television series across multiple platforms," said Liz Kalodner, the executive VP and general manager of CBS Consumer Products. "We understand how passionate the fans of these programs are and how they are constantly looking for new and innovative ways to interact with them. Whether on console, handheld or the PC, we are working with some of the most innovative publishers and developers to ensure that we meet fans’ expectations."