THQ splattering SyFy with de Blob

In June 2008, the SyFy channel and Trion Worlds announced that they had entered into an arrangement to create a massively multiplayer online role-playing game. The joint development deal would see both companies collaborating to interweave the storylines of the MMORPG with those of a corresponding television show on the network. Today, SyFy channel announced a new joint development deal, this time with gaming stalwart THQ.

The partnership will see THQ and SyFy collaborating on adapting existing franchises and creating new properties for cross-media use. In an effort to help launch the television network's new Syfy Kids brand, the first property to receive the cross-media treatment will be THQ's well-regarded platformer de Blob. Currently, the game is slated to appear on television and in online webisodes, among other "consumer products."

"This deal with THQ is an important foundation in building the Syfy Kids brand and delivering cutting-edge, interactive, story-telling experiences that live beyond the linear television screen," said SyFy president Dave Howe. The SyFy Kids label will be targeted at the 2- to-17-year-old demographic.

As announced as part of its third-quarter earnings report last week, THQ plans to release new games based on de Blob for multiple platforms during its current fiscal year ending March 31, 2011. Developed by THQ's internal studio Blue Tongue, the original was released for the Wii in September 2008. In the game, players assumed the role of amorphous globs and were tasked with restoring color to a once-vivacious town.