Have you seen it? First series... ok - it was novel. But then we had another... and then the BBC ripped it off... and then they shipped it to the US :( I have a sad feeling the game will be extremely popular tho!
The interactive video game publishing rights to Pop Idol, the smash-hit reality television entertainment show, have been secured by Codemasters, the global computer and video game publisher, under licence from FremantleMedia and 19 Entertainment. The deal will see Codemasters launching a Pop Idol video game for PlayStation 2 and PC CD this autumn in the UK. The game is set to launch as the second Pop Idol series enters its gripping run up to the finals.
The music-based rhythm-action Pop Idol game lets players create, style and train a Pop Idol contestant and compete as a singer all the way to the finals. Each virtual contestant will choose from 40 top-ten music tracks to perform for the judges. Players will receive comments on their singing performances from the TV show"s judges; including a computer-generated Simon Cowell. (See Notes for game information).
It is anticipated that the Pop Idol title will become the mass-market video game of the year and be Codemasters biggest video game launches in the company"s 17-year history. The game will be targeted at a mass-market audience of 7 to 17-year olds, a massively untapped but very active gaming audience. Pop Idol audience research indicates that over 70% of all 4-15-year olds watching television at the time saw the final, and of those 70% play games (Source: TGI).
The Pop Idol format has become a phenomenon in every territory it has launched in. In the UK, Pop Idol reached almost 14 million viewers, the final telephone vote hit a UK record-breaking 9 million calls, and now there are over 20,000 applications to be a contestant in Pop Idol 2. The PlayStation 2 and PC title is being created by Hothouse Creations and Codemasters acquired the project under its business development and acquisitions programme.