BBC AMERICA Launches Exclusive Online Game for Primetime Soap, Footballers Wive$

BBC AMERICA Launches Exclusive Online Game for Primetime Soap, Footballers Wive$

The Wive$ Get Their Own Life on BBCAmerica.com

NEW YORK, May 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Television experts have spoken -- there's a hot new soap in town, bringing a breath of fresh air to primetime. Footballers Wive$ "makes Desperate Housewives look like a small-town sewing circle" (Star), "is Dynasty on several kilos of coke" (Seattle Post- Intelligencer), and "an R-rated Falcon Crest with faster-paced, more over-the- top plot developments" (Star-Tribune). How could BBC AMERICA make this series even hotter before the season four premiere on June 4? Launch an exclusive, addictive online game where everyone plays dirty, and everyone's trying to score, of course. BBCAmerica.com and Templar have partnered to create an exclusive online game, Everyone Plays Dirty, for fans of the utterly addictive primetime soap, Footballers Wive$.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060516/NYTU068 )

Not a sports fan? Not a problem. Not familiar with the show? Not to worry. When you play the game you create your very own soap opera. The object is to keep the players, agents, managers, wives and girlfriends in a good mood by making sure they have everything their little hearts desire -- love, fame, money, power, and yes, a good reputation. Does star player Conrad need love? Send him to the airport for a romantic getaway. Does plastic surgery addict Shannon crave fame? Send her to the tabloids with the hope that the press will be kind. Being a footballer or a footballer's wife has its advantages -- money, power, fame -- but it's not all it's cracked up to be. Players of Everyone Plays Dirty will have to keep on their toes -- the characters have a mind of their own and even the best attempts at giving them what they need have a way of back-firing and going horribly wrong. Without your good influence, these characters will play dirty, and will be irretrievably drawn to gambling, brawling, boozing and shagging. So what are you waiting for? All you need to start playing is internet access and Flash Player 8.0.

"We're delighted that BBC AMERICA entrusted us with this fantastic series, and gave us the chance to make an online game that reflects the inner world of the Footballers Wive$," says Peter Mack, President of Templar. "Footballers Wive$ gave us the perfect opportunity to have a little online fun," adds Grace Mangum, Director of BBCAmerica.com, "Fans of the show are thrilled to see the Wive$ come to life online. Everyone Plays Dirty is one of the most-visited features at BBCAmerica.com -- the game is addictive, just like the television series."

Play Everyone Plays Dirty: http://www.bbcamerica.com/fwgame

BBCAmerica.com connects the U.S. with the best of British television from BBC AMERICA -- the 24 hour U.S. cable channel - with a compelling range of entertainment, sport and news headlines. U.S. exclusive interviews and features go beyond the shows and behind the scenes of BBC AMERICA's provocative dramas, razor-sharp comedies and groundbreaking movies. The BBCAmerica.com shop is stocked with the best BBC products, mouthwatering British treats and unique travel opportunities.

Based in Chinatown, Templar is New York's longest-running independent game design studio, specializing in high quality video games for a variety of platforms including PC, mobile devices, and the Web. Formed as a collective in 1997 and reincorporated in 1998, Templar has created original games for clients such as 20th Century Fox, Sony Pictures, BBC America, LEGO, Intel, Cartoon Network, Discovery Channel, HBO, and many others. Templar regularly works with some of the best advertising agencies in the world to provide promotional game development and consulting, including BBDO, Arnold Worldwide, Bartle Bogle Hegerty, and Crispin Porter + Bogusky. A pioneer in the world of video games, Templar is currently developing an original title to be released for next-generation console systems in 2007.

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060516/NYTU068
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
AP PhotoExpress Network: PRN8
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: BBC AMERICA

CONTACT: Leslie Sepuka, +1-212-705-9422, or Matt Marshall,
+1-212-705-9640, both of BBC AMERICA - http://www.press.bbcamerica.com/

Web site: http://www.bbcamerica.com/fwgame
http://www.bbc.co.uk/

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