Nickelodeon to invest $100 million in casual gaming

Nickelodeon announced that it will spend USD 100 million over the next two years creating casual games, sites, and platforms.

"Across all of MTVN's online sites, gaming is an important original genre and we are committed to delivering fresh content to our audiences in all of our demos," said Nickelodeon Kids and Family Group president Cyma Zarghami. "Particularly in the kids' space, with more than 86 per cent of kids 8 to 14 gaming online, we see great momentum for online casual gaming. This investment will not only benefit our audiences, but also our marketing and distribution partners."

The MTV Networks-owned company made the announcement at this week's Casual Connect conference in Seattle, Washington.

Nickelodeon's upcoming casual gaming projects include myNOGGIN, a subscription service of educational games for preschoolers, and the Nick Gaming Club, an online multiplayer gaming community.

There was no immediate indication that Nickelodeon's casual gaming investment will affect its current licensing agreements with THQ, publisher of PC, console, and handheld games based upon SpongeBob Squarepants, Jimmy Neutron, Tak, and other Nickelodeon properties.

Last year, MTV Networks bought Harmonix, creator of Guitar Hero for Activision and the upcoming Rock Band for EA.