EA announces intial batch of Hasbro games, G.I. Joe sadly absent
Electronic Arts has sewn up the rights to deliver games based on numerous Hasbro properties, though before you get too excited in hopes that you'll soon be revisiting your past and playing games based on G.I. Joe, we should note that of this "initial slate" of brands singled out by the companies not one packs a 'kung fu grip.' EA calls these games "new ways for families to build relationships through digital entertainment," which of course means we'll be seeing at least some of these games crop up on the Wii.
In fact, the first titles from the deal confirmed for both the Wii and DS include games based on Littlest Pet Shop and NERF "N-Strike," both of which are being put together by EA's Salt Lake Studio. Last year EA inked a deal with Hasbro for rights to make games based on the seemingly innocent but often cutthroat board game Monopoly, and players will be able to edge their way out of (and into) virtual bankruptcy come March for mobile phones and later in the fall over EA's casual POGO portal for the PC. Other brands in the works as part of this new deal include Scrabble, Operation, and Trivial Pursuit, meaning that in the not to distant future we could be once again partying like it's Christmas 1980.
