Now That’s What I Call… Games

Record label EMI is turning its Now! That’s What I Call Music compilations into a Wii game, MCV can reveal.

A dancing and singing title will debut this November, published by new outfit Tubby Games.

The 2011 release is the first of several planned Now titles. EMI’s brand is a good fit for consoles; the firm has been keen to crack into music games for some time.

It is also a homecoming for the publisher, led by the team that worked on 2004’s PS2/PSone dancing hit Dance:UK.

Key execs include strategic director Neil Meredith, MD Tracy Johnson plus developer Broadsword, which made Dance:UK and is making the Now game. Meredith told MCV: This all feels a bit Ocean’s Eleven – the team is back together and we have a hugely powerful music brand in Now.

We’ve got the right licence, the right tracks and the right developer.”

The game is aimed at Wii’s family audience and includes ten tracks each for singing and dancing. Now uses music licensed from a host of labels, not just EMI.

There have been a lot of other music firms that have expressed an interest in this space – games are a big opportunity for them,” added Meredith.

The move will be watched closely by other firms. Ubisoft’s Just Dance and associated games, plus Nordic Games’ We Sing range and its spin-offs have redefined Wii music games.

Over 1m dancing games sell every month globally.

Meredith added: Now is an evergreen title that can hold in the charts over time. We have had a great reaction from retailers already and have high expectations for it in the UK and across Europe.

And this isn’t about a quick volume sell-in, but extending the brand in the right way. We hope Now can repeat the success it has had in music in games.”