Microids and IMPS/The Smurfs sign a major publishing deal regarding future Smurfs video game adaptations
New details about the upcoming game The Smurfs – Mission Vileaf, announced last year!
Paris, April 8 2021 – French publisher Microids and IMPS, the Smurfs world license holder, are pleased to announce a major publishing deal regarding the development of four new Smurfs video game adaptations. These games will explore different genres and will gradually launch over the next five years. As a reminder, Microids’ new subsidiary, Microids Distribution France, will handle the distribution of the game in the French territory.
“We’re thrilled over this ambitious deal with IMPS, as it extends even more our lasting and very promising partnership.” says Stéphane Longeard, Microids’ CEO. “Working on such a rich franchise that speaks to all generations allows us to create a wide variety of different games: there will be something to suit all tastes! Besides, thanks to this partnership and the Smurf’s incredible international notoriety, Microids continues to significantly reinforce and diversify its catalog of renowned IPs.”
“It’s a great pleasure to collaborate with Microids, we fully trust them in coming up with iconic, creative, gorgeous games with our little Smurfs.” adds Véronique Culliford, Peyo’s daughter and IMPS’ founding president. “I’m sure both kids and adults alike will be delighted. Additionally, with the new Smurfs TV series that will be broadcast worldwide in 2021, the notoriety of the Smurfs will grow even more! I am really proud to consolidate our bond with another company from the Media Participations group.”
In addition to these four upcoming games, the Smurfs will also be a part of Microids’ 2021 line-up, as the new Smurfs game that was announced last May will launch at the end of the year. Entitled The Smurfs – Mission Vileaf and developed by Osome Studio, the game will launch simultaneously on PC, PlayStation®4, Xbox One consoles, and Nintendo Switch. In this new 3D adventure-platformer, the Smurfs will once again have to thwart evil Gargamel’s schemes to save their village… and the whole forest!
Stay tuned: Microids will soon unveil more information about The Smurfs – Mission Vileaf!
The news comes as LAFIG Belgium and IMPS are about to launch a brand new CG-animated The Smurfs TV series.
Based on the iconic property and in partnership with LAFIG Belgium and IMPS, The Smurfs (52 11-minute episodes across two seasons) will follow Papa Smurf, Smurfette, Brainy, Hefty, Clumsy and others, on all-new adventures, packed with humor, heart and high-stakes action. The series is set to premiere on Nickelodeon in the U.S. in October 2021, and is slated to roll-out on Nickelodeon channels and programming blocks shortly after.
The new 3D The Smurfs series will have its premiere on Ouftivi in the French-speaking region of Belgium on Sunday 18th April 2021, and will also be made available on YouTube worldwide from Q2 2022 and will also debut on Netflix services worldwide from Q2 2023.
IMPS will be presenting the new The Smurfs series at MIPTV 2021.
The Smurfs is produced by Belgium's Peyo Productions and France's Dupuis Edition & Audiovisuel. It is being directed by William Renaud (Calimero, Casper’s Scare School, A Kind of Magic) and written by Peter Saisselin (Sonic Boom, ALVINNN!!! And the Chipmunks) and Amy Serafin (Sonic Boom, Alvin!!! And the Chipmunks).
In addition to the content partnership, ViacomCBS Consumer Products (VCP) will manage consumer products licensing for The Smurfs property across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Singapore and Malaysia. VCP will seek new merchandising and promotional partners in select categories and territories for The Smurfs classic brand, in addition to a new product line for the new animated series The Smurfs, spanning categories including toys, stationery, apparel and accessories, home, consumer packaged goods and more, to launch at retail in 2022.
MIPTV is the annual spring market for the international television industry, now in its 58th year. Digital MIPTV 2021 will take place exclusively online from 12-16 April, bringing together global distributors, producers, buyers and commissioners of drama, doc, kids, factual and formats programming for a curated week of personalised business meetings, exclusive market intelligence, conference sessions and global networking. MIPTV is traditionally the biggest global week in unscripted television and this year features MIPDoc and MIPFormats within the main market. MIPTV is organized by Reed Exhibitions. For more information, visit www.miptv.com.
Created in 1958 by Belgian cartoonist Peyo, pen name of Pierre Culliford (1928-1992), the Smurfs (French: Les Schtroumpfs) evolved from secondary comic characters in Peyo's Johan and Peewit (French: Johan et Pirlouit) comic series and spinning off into their own series the following year, in which they became the small centerpieces of the massive franchise that skyrocketed to global fame with the 1981 launch of The Smurfs (Smurfs' Adventures) Saturday morning cartoon series, which, produced by Hanna-Barbera aired new episodes on NBC until 1989, running for more than 250 episodes and several specials over nine seasons. It would eventually manifest in live-action CG-animation hybrid splendor on the big screen. The 2011 feature film of the same name and its 2013 sequel, The Smurfs 2 were produced by Sony Pictures Animation and released by Columbia Pictures. Hank Azaria and Neil Patrick Harris starred in live-action roles, with voiceovers by Anton Yelchin, Jonathan Winters, Katy Perry (famously providing the voice of Smurfette), Jayma Mays, and George Lopez. A fully CG-animated standalone movie, The Smurfs: Lost Village was released in April 2017, featuring the voices of Demi Lovato, Rainn Wilson, Ellie Kemper, Julia Roberts and Mandy Patinkin. The Smurfs have also featured in two shorts.
Below is Microids' official press release announcing the Smurf-tastic news!
Microids et IMPS signent un contrat d’édition sur de futurs jeux Schtroumpfs
Annoncé l’année dernière, le jeu Les Schtroumpfs – Mission Malfeuille constitue la prochaine aventure vidéo ludique des Schtroumpfs et donne de ses nouvelles
Paris, 8 avril 2021 – L’éditeur français Microids et la société IMPS sont heureux d’annoncer la signature d’un contrat d’édition étendu portant sur le développement de quatre nouveaux jeux adaptés de la célèbre licence des Schtroumpfs. Ces titres exploreront plusieurs genres de jeux différents et sortiront progressivement au cours des cinq prochaines années. Par ailleurs, la distribution de ces futurs titres en France sera assurée par la nouvelle filiale de Microids, Microids Distribution France.
« Nous sommes ravis de la signature de cet accord ambitieux avec IMPS, qui marque la concrétisation d’un partenariat pérenne et très prometteur, et qui constitue le gage de notre confiance mutuelle. » déclare Stéphane Longeard, CEO de Microids. « La richesse de cette licence intergénérationnelle permettra de donner naissance à des titres particulièrement variés : il y en aura pour tous les goûts ! En outre, grâce à ce partenariat, Microids renforce davantage son catalogue de jeux issus de licences fortes en s’appuyant sur l’incroyable notoriété internationale des Schtroumpfs. »
« Quel bonheur de collaborer avec Microids, toute l’équipe a toute ma confiance pour la réalisation de très beaux jeux iconiques, créatifs et innovants avec nos petits Schtroumpfs. » renchérit Véronique Culliford, présidente fondatrice d’IMPS et fille de Peyo. « Je suis certaine qu’ils raviront petits et grands enfants que nous sommes. De plus, avec la nouvelle série des Schtroumpfs, qui sera diffusée mondialement en 2021, la notoriété de ces derniers ne pourra qu’être accrue ! Je suis très fière de consolider notre complicité avec une branche de plus du groupe Média Participations. »
En plus de ces quatre prochains jeux, les Schtroumpfs feront déjà partie intégrante du line-up 2021 de Microids, puisque le nouveau titre faisant la part belle aux petits êtres bleus, annoncé en mai dernier, sortira en fin d’année. Intitulé Les Schtroumpfs – Mission Malfeuille, et développé par le studio lyonnais OSome Studio, le jeu sera disponible simultanément sur PC, PlayStation®4, consoles Xbox One, et Nintendo Switch. Dans cette nouvelle expérience d’aventure-plateforme, les Schtroumpfs devront une fois de plus déjouer les plans du machiavélique Gargamel pour sauver leur village… et toute la forêt !
Restez à l’écoute : Microids dévoilera prochainement de plus amples informations sur Les Schtroumpfs – Mission Malfeuille !
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