Spooks revealed as multi-format computer game
³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Worldwide will develop and publish PC console games based on the hugely successful drama, Spooks – a Kudos production for ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ ONE. ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Multimedia, ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Worldwide’s software publishing business, is set to take the BAFTA-award winning series to PlayStation 2, Xbox and PC.
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It's the first time a ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ drama has been developed into a computer game. The multi-format title, developed by ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Multimedia’s in-house studio, Gamezlab, will be launched in the UK in Autumn 2004, and will feature all the main characters from the TV series.
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³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Multimedia will be announcing International distribution partnerships for the games over the coming months. With a script by TV show writer Steve Bailie, Spooks will see games players control the main MI5 agents from the series in a quest to thwart an international criminal conspiracy; action will take place in a range of locations in the UK and abroad; and the game will task the player with completing a variety of Spook-like operations – from surveillance to code-breaking, stealthy tailing of suspects and the dramatic cracking of criminal cells.
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The game launch will coincide with Spooks’ third television series, due to air in the autumn on ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ ONE. TV drama Spooks is a Kudos production for ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ ONE. The third series is produced by Andrew Woodhead and the executive producers are Jane Featherstone and Simon Crawford Collins for Kudos and Gareth Neame, Head of Drama Commissioning for the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳. Spooks was created by David Wolstencroft.
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Also writing for the series are Simon Mirren, Matthew Graham, Steve Bailie, Ben Richards and Howard Brenton. As well as receiving a best drama BAFTA, Spooks has been aired to critical acclaim in the US. The A&E Network broadcast the first two series (renamed MI-5), and is set to run series three.
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Dave Lee, ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Worldwide’s Director of Multimedia, said: "The rich and engaging world of Spooks makes ideal material for a game. Added to this, the support and contribution of the show’s production team will help the development of a truly involving title that I expect to appeal to fans of the series as well as the wider computer gaming community."
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Stephen Garrett, Joint MD, Kudos Film & Television Ltd, said: "As a TV producer it’s thrilling to find an internationally successful show like Spooks starting to develop a life of its own. With its potential for stealth and complex problem solving, Spooks seems a natural for the world of computer gaming, a world that until now television drama propositions have not really been able to inhabit."
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Notes to editors
Spooks: Starring Matthew Macfadyen (Perfect Strangers/US title - Almost Strangers), Keeley Hawes (Tipping The Velvet), David Oyelowo (A Sound of Thunder), Peter Firth (Amistad, Hunt For Red October) and Jenny Agutter (A Respectable Trade), the series is an action-packed thriller about the undercover world of the British Security Service MI5.
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As the team works to thwart the activities of terrorists operating within the UK, they must also battle with the dangerous and psychologically demanding aspects of their work and the effect it can have on their personal lives.
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Kudos Film and Television: Makers of Spooks (MI-5) is a dynamic UK independent production company, highly regarded in the British film and television industry. Led by Joint Managing Directors Stephen Garrett and Jane Featherstone, Kudos prides itself on its investment in new talent and its ability to make distinctive, original and award-winning film and television drama.
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Spooks has consistently attracted high ratings and critical acclaim across the world, and the third series is currently in production in the UK.
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The DVD of series one was released in America in January. Kudos’ reputation is exemplified by its portfolio of award-winning productions: Channel 4 drama Psychos; the International Emmy award-winning children’s series The Magician’s House (³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ ONE); highly-acclaimed feature film Among Giants; and the Grammy-nominated film about Radiohead, Meeting People Is Easy.
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³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Multimedia: the software publishing division of ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Worldwide publishes console and PC games, as well as interactive entertainment products for mobile and other platforms. In addition, ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Multimedia creates children's and reference titles for PC and consoles.
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All the company’s interactive products are developed with an emphasis on innovation, entertainment, creativity, learning and the quality the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ is renowned for.
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You can find out more about its catalogue of titles on the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Multimedia website - .
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