D3Publisher of Europe Ltd (D3PE), a publisher and developer of interactive entertainment software, today announced a worldwide publishing agreement with Aardman Animations to produce a series of video games based on Aardman’s popular Shaun the Sheep character.
Shaun the Sheep made his debut in Aardman’s much-loved Wallace and Gromit shorts, and is now the star of a critically acclaimed TV show. Shaun is a sheep who doesn’t follow the flock ? in fact, he leads them into all sort of scrapes and scraps, turning peace in the valley into mayhem in the meadow. Shaun and his pals run rings around their poor sheepdog Bitzer, as he tries to stop the Farmer finding out what’s going on behind his back
The show has been sold in over 145 countries, including UK (BBC), USA (Disney), France (TF1), Germany (WDR) and Japan (NHK).
Characters and situations from this 40-episode TV series will be used within D3PE’s games, the first of which will be released for Nintendo DS in Q4, 2008.
The new deal marks a continuation of D3PE’s strong relationship with Aardman Animations. The publisher enjoyed great success with the official video game of Flushed Away, and is committed to producing a number of bespoke Shaun the Sheep video games across a host of leading formats.
?This agreement with Aardman Animation is a significant milestone for D3Publisher of Europe,? commented David Hope, Managing Director of D3P Europe. ?Shaun the Sheep is a significant global property and will be a key title for us in 2008 and beyond. We are very pleased to be working with such an innovative partner as Aardman Animations, and will deliver a fun gaming experience that expands on the adorable star of the popular children’s TV show.?