Fox Kids Europe taps Gamegate.com

Beefing up its lineup of web entertainment, Fox Kids Europe has commissioned Dutch company Gamegate.com to produce 15 new Net games for kids ages six to 12 over the next three years. The deal also give FKE access to part of Gamegate’s 100-title game library. After debuting both the original and library games on the web, FKE also plans to distribute them via broadband and wireless platforms.

Infogrames hooks up with Hudson

Following up on the January 2000 launch of an Asian subsidiary in Tokyo, Infogrames is making further in-roads in the Japanese market via a new US$600,000 joint-venture with Japan’s leading software publisher Hudson Soft. Based in Hokkaido, Hudson is best known for its game franchise Bomberman, but the company also develops entertainment content for high-tech cell phones like the NTT DoCoMo model.

Infogrames’ Asian arm will merge with Hudson, and the new entity, called Infogrames Hudson K.K., will initially concentrate on developing three next-gen console titles for summer 2001.

Green E-mas

To avoid standing in line this holiday season, eight in every 10 web users plan to shop on-line, with November and December sales expected to reach US$12.5 billion, reports Port Washington-based the NPD Group. The top 10 web destinations for holiday 2000 shoppers are Amazon.com, eBay.com, BarnesandNoble.com, toysrus.com, Buy.com, JCPenny.com, Yahoo.com, eToys.com, LandsEnd.com and CDNow.com.

The products most Net users plan to purchase on-line are books, apparel, music, movies/videos/DVDs and toys.

Kibu and Thirsty join the dot.dead

The dot.com fall-out has claimed a few more e-victims recently as on-line teen hubs Kibu, and Thirsty have officially shut down.

Launched in May as a community site for teen girls, Kibu was also plotting to extend the on-line experience via a real-world hangout in San Francisco called the Kibu Lounge. All plans are off now though, and Kibu co-founder and CEO Judy Macdonald cites a widespread lack of marketplace interest in web companies with ad-centric business plans as the reason.

Low demand also broke the bank for Thirsty, which was launched in July by Booty Call helmer Jeff Pollack and Fresh Prince co-producer Benny Medina. Aimed at teen Net denizens, the site’s master plan was to provide its users with wireless content, but the money dried up before that scheme could be implemented.