LONDON - European pay-TV group Sky said on Thursday it was joining forces with production company Skybound Entertainment to create its first mobile narrative games, aiming to exploit the content of its original TV shows in a new format.
The games created by the joint venture, named Skybound Stories, will make the player the protagonist tasked with making choices that shape the storyline, Sky said.
Sky's managing director of content Gary Davey said mobile narrative gaming was "comic books for the iPhone generation".
"Interactive story-telling, designed for mobile consumption is a fascinating new field for us," he said. "And it's great to now explore it with the masters of the craft."
Skybound Entertainment is involved in TV, film and interactive gaming, and its productions include "The Walking Dead", Sky said.
Sky, which has made original shows including "Britannia", "Babylon Berlin" and "Gomorrah", said the games would be based on its forthcoming productions across Europe.
The group at the centre of a bid battle between Comcast and Twenty-First Century Fox has been producing more content, such as original drama and comedy, to broaden its offering beyond its strengths in sport, movies and major U.S. drama shows.
It has said it will spend 7 billion pounds ($9.1 billion) on content, including sports rights, this year.
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(Reporting by Paul Sandle Editing by Edmund Blair) ((paul.sandle@thomsonreuters.com; +44 20 7542 6843; Reuters Messaging: paul.sandle.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))
