SANTA MONICA, Calif. and SAN FRANCISCO/CNW/ — The pop culture phenomenon Saban’s Power Rangers will soon be reimagined as a real time multiplayer mobile action game as announced today in partnership by Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF), a premier next generation global content leader, Saban Brands, the creator of the 23 year Power Rangers legacy, and cutting edge game developer, nWay. The game is slated to launch next year. Also next year, Lionsgate and Saban Brands will release the eagerly-anticipated Saban’s Power Rangers feature film in theaters worldwide on March 24, 2017.
“This alliance underscores our strategy of combining a world-class brand with a Triple-A game developer to create an exciting, high quality game with enormous upside,” said Lionsgate President of Interactive Ventures & GamesPeter Levin. “With nWay’s ability to achieve console level play on mobile devices, the Power Rangers game will appeal to a broad spectrum of core gamers and Power Rangers fans alike.”
“For decades, the Power Rangers brand has provided new and engaging opportunities for fans to experience the iconic franchise and we are thrilled to continue that legacy by joining forces with Lionsgate, our feature film partner, and nWay to create a state-of-the-art mobile game,” said Janet Hsu, Chief Executive Officer of Saban Brands. “With these phenomenal partners, we will connect millions of Power Rangers and gaming fans globally with a mobile gaming experience unlike anything else.”
“Lionsgate and Saban Brands are the ideal partners and Power Rangers is the perfect property on which to base a game with player-to-player competition, epic battles and intense action that raises the bar for the genre,” said nWay Chief Executive Officer Taehoon Kim. “The Power Rangers global fan base provides a powerful foundation for the game’s launch, and the high quality of gameplay makes this a natural for the e-sports trend. Power Rangers is an incredibly beloved and recognizable property, and its deep and detailed mythology will enable us to create a rich, multi-layered world for gamers everywhere.”
nWay is an innovative San Francisco-based game company comprised of developers who have worked on some of the biggest intellectual properties in the world, including Star Wars, James Bond, Indiana Jones, The Godfatherand Star Fox. nWay’s first game, ChronoBlade, launched in Asia and is coming to the U.S. this summer.
Haim Saban launched Power Rangers with “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers” as a live action television series more than 20 years ago, and it quickly became the most-watched children’s television program in the United States. It remains one of the top-rated and longest running kids live-action series in television history and has grown into one of the world’s most popular and recognizable brands, with toys, apparel, costumes, video games, DVD’s, comic books and more.
The announcement is the latest milestone in Lionsgate’s creation of a diverse games business that includes: strategic investments in Telltale Games, Next Games, Mobcrush and Fifth Journey; the recent or planned launches of Orange is the New Black (IGT/DoubleDown Casino), Point Break (Payday), Mad Men (Zynga) andKevin Hart mobile games; acquisition of rights to top gaming properties Borderlands and Candy Crush Saga to be adapted into films and television series; and virtual reality gaming initiatives built around the Company’s John Wick and Now You See Me film properties as well as a VR game partnership with Google’s recently-announced Daydream platform.
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