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Keywords Studios is growing once again. Although this time it’s launching a new studio, an internal expansion, rather than acquiring one. To that end Scarab Games has been created as a part of the existing Ottawa-based Snowed in Studios.
The new studio has something of a different focus to any we’ve seen before. The idea is that it’s a complete turnkey development partner for major brands looking to bring their IP to the booming triple-A gaming segment.
“Moving into new territory is never easy without a map,” said Snowed In Studios CEO, Jean-Sylvain Sormany. “Our new Scarab division’s team is custom-built to help brands develop and navigate their long-term engagement strategy with customers, through the rich world of gaming.”
The studio will of course work hand-in-hand with Keywords practically innumerable other service providers in order to create said titles, but what’s intriguing in how it looks to provide a complete “proprietary roadmap” to company’s unfamiliar with games development, in order to make the most of their brand in the space.
Scarab Games promises to “help brands from every sector distil their history and brand value into deep, story-driven narratives and gameplay styles for original entertainment projects, said a statement. And there’s a clear target audience:”to help CEOs and CMOs navigate the[gaming] landscape.”
“We’ve seen famous brands dare to go into console gaming and, years later, find themselves in a position to release blockbuster animated films around those same brands,” said Snowed In Studios’ Senior Producer Nigel Franks. “With direct relationships to publishers, we are equipped to make that possible for brands that were outside of the traditional gaming space.”
The studio is specifically targeting “Fortune 500” companies. It’s an interesting play, as the days of big brands pushing into the gaming space seemed a long way behind us, with the 16-but console boom being the ‘high point’ of such ventures. That said, if driven by the industry, rather than those outside of it, there are lots of brands out there with huge crossover potential.
