REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Kabam™, the leading developer of hardcore social games, today announced it is teaming up with Paramount Digital Entertainment to bring the massively popular and critically acclaimed The Godfather® movie franchise to social gaming in The Godfather™: Five Families™. The browser based, free-to-play online multiplayer game will be set in the Prohibition era preceding the films, with players and five crime families battling for money, power, and respect and the ultimate goal of becoming “Don” of your family. Kabam also announced that it has opened up registration for a closed beta test of the game. Players interested in being a part of this event can sign up by going to a special site for The Godfather: Five Families on Kabam.com at http://www.kabam.com/the-godfather. Beta tests are expected to begin in several weeks.
“It’s an honor to create a new massively multiplayer social game based on one of the greatest entertainment brands of all time,” said Chris Carvalho, Chief Operating Officer of Kabam. “The Godfather: Five Families will transport millions of players to a living world of 1930s gangsters and family alliances that will transcend what any other mafia-style social game has offered to date.”
The Godfather: Five Families will introduce new social gameplay features specifically designed for this game, theme and story. The Godfather: Five Families will also be the first MMSG and MMO game on the Facebook Platform based on a mafia theme with synchronous gameplay where millions of players can play and combat each other in real time. The Godfather: Five Families will be constructed with careful attention to detail to capture the authenticity of the epic chronicle of mafia warfare, loyalty and intrigue.
The Godfather movie series is one of the most venerated film franchises ever created. The original movie, The Godfather, ranked #2 on the American Film Institute’s list, “100 Years… 100 Movies.” The Godfather II was ranked #32 on the same AFI list, making it the only film series thus honored with multiple inclusions. The films won nine Academy Awards, including “Best Picture” for each of the first two movie installments, and garnered over 20 Academy Award nominations.
“The rich heritage of The Godfather franchise is well suited for deep multiplayer social gaming,” said John Kavanagh, Senior Vice President of Video Games for Paramount Digital Entertainment. “Combining the drama and intrigue of warring crime families with thousands of real players trying to amass their own power and wealth in the game presents a compelling new way for fans to experience the world of the films.”
The Godfather: Five Families will combine elements of highly immersive MMO-style play with the connectivity and interaction of social networks. The massively multiplayer social game will feature the famous “Five Families” of The Godfather world in an open-ended storyline that will allow players to create their own destinies. Designed to engage those who seek a deeper, more engaging game experience, The Godfather: Five Families offers a strategy and RPG game-style with competitive interaction and game play that can be enjoyed for hours. Among the number of ways the game will differ from casual social games with similar themes is that it will be more competitive, with a greater emphasis on combat and battle objectives as well as game mechanics and a reward system that encourages activity, including PvP and Family vs. Family battles.
“The Godfather: Five Families will immerse players in a persistent world of Prohibition era New York gangsters where families and players battle for wealth and power as they build their empires,” said Larry Koh, General Manager, Kabam and Executive Producer for the game. “The Godfather saga provides an incredibly engaging foundation from which to create an authentic, multi-layered and compelling game. We’ll be sharing more details on the storyline and game itself in the weeks to come.”
The Godfather: Five Families marks the first time a major movie franchise has expanded its storylines to the social gaming world. Players interested in participating in the closed beta test for the game can register at http://www.kabam.com/the-godfather.
For more information on Kabam, visit our official site at www.kabam.com, and also our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/kabam.
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Kabam_Media
Password: Play4Real!
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About Kabam
Kabam is leading the next wave of gaming – hardcore social games. The company’s studios focus on combining the best elements of traditional and social gaming to appeal to a growing audience of gamers looking for highly immersive social games. The first wave of Kabam’s new games for Facebook and leading media sites, including IGN Reader’s Choice Facebook Game of 2010 Kingdoms of Camelot®, have been widely recognized for their depth of play and social interaction. Founded in 2006, Kabam has offices in San Francisco and Redwood City, Calif., Beijing, China and Luxembourg. More information about Kabam can be found at www.kabam.com.
About Paramount Digital Entertainment
Paramount Digital Entertainment (PDE) is a division of Paramount Pictures Corporation. PDE develops and distributes filmed entertainment across worldwide digital distribution platforms including online, mobile and portable devices, videogames, and emerging technologies.
Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment, is a unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. The company's labels include Paramount Pictures, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, Insurge Pictures, MTV Films and Nickelodeon Movies. PPC operations also include Paramount Digital Entertainment, Paramount Famous Productions, Paramount Home Entertainment, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc., Paramount Studio Group and Paramount Television & Digital Distribution.
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