Focus


performance of the game during and after the show period?


Naturally the launch of the game needs to tie in with the launch of the show as near as possible and this was always the plan. This ensures that players become aware of the product as awareness of the TV format starts to build. With Britain’s Got Talent and other formats that have now experienced a number of successful series’ there is much more scope to extend the impact beyond the transmission window and we are working on a number of concepts that will help to maintain peak performance after the end of the show in June.


G3: You're going to be unable to use assets from the 2011 Britain's Got Talent show, using instead contestants from 2010. However, is the ultimate goal to utilise downloadable technology to refresh games on-site with assets from the current shows?


This is something that we are exploring, although there are a number of factors in play that will ultimately impact this decision.


G3: In a show such as Britain's Got Talent - what are the key assets you can deliver to Barcrest Group that you consider must be included in the game, and what's cost prohibitive to include in such a title?


Key assets that add value to the game include images and video clips of contestants, audio including the distinctive Britain’s Got Talent soundtrack and all available imagery and creative assets used within the TV format. Good examples of these are the ‘X’ symbols and buzzers – all of these elements have been added to the game. With most licensed content, talent is the one area where significant cost can be incurred, so there is always a decision as to where the line should be drawn.


G3: Game shows have transferred very successfully to gaming machine formats as they seek to replicate the key dynamic of the game itself. In a title such as Britain's Got Talent - what are you looking for in the game itself and how do you interlink the assets of the brand to create an experience that is recognisable to the player?


With Britain’s Got Talent the use of the buzzer within the show format creates the element of jeopardy e.g. an act may last the duration or they may get ‘buzzed off’ after 3 seconds. This is an element that has been successfully taken into the game play. The game also makes use of the assets, especially video clips, in a way that maintains a strong link to the brand at all times whether you are playing the


LICENSING


game or looking on from a distance.


G3: Licenses offer developers an instant walk-up factor - but how do you hold player interest once the licence has drawn the player to the machine? And do licences offer much more than an initial affinity that catches a player's eye?


In this instance, we believe that the brand stands out from other games and certainly will create the walk-up factor we are looking for. In terms of retaining a player’s interest the brand also has a part to play in the mix however if the game isn’t a good game with engaging features and bonus rounds then a player is more likely to move on to alternative games – this is the same challenge that all games face, branded or un-branded.


G3: Will we see the expansion of this kind of deal into Europe - maybe not specifically for this brand, though there are different Got Talent's for individual countries - and further cooperation with both Barcrest Group and other game developers in the land-based sector?


G3 I JUNE 2011 I PAGE 53


“Ours is a multi- channel strategy


incorporating content development and distribution across


online, land-based and mobile channels. At the moment we are


very heavily weighted to online in terms of


volume of content and therefore we see


Britain’s Got Talent as the first in a number


of brands that we will be bringing to the


land-based market in partnership with


quality development


partners. We already have at least two


other brands that we


are looking to develop before the end of 2011 and more in the plan for 2012.”


Simon Murphy. FremantleMedia.


FME is a global business and we have a range of TV formats and brands that are either pan- European or localised to specific territories. As such, and in line with regulation, we will most certainly be looking to create a presence for our brands outside of the UK.


G3: What's the next step for FME in the exploitation of this kind of deal? Will you be focusing more on land-based development in the future or is this more of a one-off trial?


Our strategy is a multi-channel strategy incorporating content development and distribution across online, land-based and mobile channels. At the moment we are very heavily weighted to online in terms of volume of content and therefore we see Britain’s Got Talent as the first in a number of brands that we will be bringing to the land-based market in partnership with quality development partners. We already have at least two other brands that we are looking to develop before the end of 2011 and more in the plan for 2012.


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