The agreement with Zynga’s Rollic marks the next step in Mattel’s mission to grow its digital games business for all audiences.
Mattel has announced a new partnership with Rollic, a subsidiary of Zynga Inc., a wholly-owned publishing label of Take-Two Interactive, to introduce a new mass-market Barbie mobile game. The game is slated to launch later this year.
Mattel’s ongoing expansion of its licensed digital games portfolio is part of a strategic initiative to bolster its digital games business. This endeavour aims to provide captivating and engaging entertainment experiences based on Mattel’s beloved intellectual properties that will resonate with fans across generations.
“Partnering with Rollic and Zynga enables us to bring a fresh and exciting mass market Barbie mobile game to fans worldwide,” said Mike DeLaet, global head of Digital Gaming at Mattel. “This collaboration underscores Mattel’s dedication to leveraging our iconic brands in innovative ways and propels our digital games division’s ability to deliver best-in-class immersive entertainment experiences for fans of all ages.”
The forthcoming Barbie mobile game will be published by Rollic, which recently surpassed 2.7b lifetime downloads worldwide. Rollic develops and publishes hit mobile titles in over 175 countries and has had 22 titles reach the No. 1 and No. 2 spot in the US Apple App Store. The company has redefined the hyper-casual genre, adding live services and a steady cadence of in-game events to encourage long-lasting player engagement. Rollic’s fast-paced data process allows its teams to quickly tap into of-the-moment cultural trends and to build updates that capture player reactions. This combination of creative and data-driven talent makes Rollic the ideal partner to bring a new Barbie gaming experience to life, accelerating Mattel’s strategic initiative to expand its iconic intellectual properties across all entertainment mediums.
“Barbie is beloved by generations of players around the world, and we are delighted to partner with Mattel to bring the latest iteration of this icon to mobile gaming,” said Burak Vardal, CEO of Rollic. “Our teams’ ability to translate cultural moments into lasting gameplay allows us to provide players with another place to engage with their favourite IP and we are excited to step into the world of Barbie with this brand-new title.”
