SEGA snags videogame rights for Beijing 2008 Olympics

Japanese software giant SEGA has announced a worldwide publishing partnership with International Sports Multimedia for the official videogame tie-in of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

The partnership, which concludes in 2009, grants SEGA the exclusive rights to publish videogames based on the Beijing Olympics, with PC/Macintosh, arcade, console and handheld formats included in the deal. SEGA will also develop mobile phone games for distribution in Asian markets.

Raymond Goldsmith, ISM chairman and CEO, commented: "SEGA's broad publishing capabilities and rich heritage in video games ensures that consumers worldwide will share a more immersive Olympic experience."

No firm details regarding the mobile phone games have been revealed to date, but SEGA has stated that the official videogame will contain elements of a wide variety of Olympic sports, including aquatics, archery, baseball, basketball, boxing, canoe/kayak, cycling, equestrian, fencing, football, gymnastics, handball, field hockey, Judo, modern pentathlon, rowing, sailing, shooting, softball, table tennis, Taekwondo, tennis, triathlon, volleyball, weightlifting and wrestling.

Hisao Oguchi, SEGA's president and COO added: "SEGA is excited to become the publisher for the Official Video Game of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and we are committed to creating innovative content for an unprecedented number of interactive entertainment platforms. This project will enable SEGA to further enhance our global entertainment business and drive sales in critical Asian markets like China that offer an extremely high growth potential."

SEGA Corporation provides interactive entertainment services both inside and outside the home, encompassing consumer business, amusement machine sales and amusement centre operations. The company continues to develop, publish and distribute videogames for numerous hardware platforms including all major consoles, PC, and wireless devices.