Mattel has teamed up with Outright Games in the UK to make kids video games based on some of its most iconic toy brands. The first three console/PC titles lined up to come out of this multi-year partnership before year’s end are Matchbox Driving Adventures, Monster High: Skulltimate Secrets and Barbie Project Friendship.

Mattel Digital Games is coming off a hot year. Its games were collectively played by 48 million active users in 2023—thanks largely to Barbie DreamHouse Tycoon (Roblox) and Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged (consoles and PC).

The toyco has been quite open about its ambition to become a video game publisher in its own right, and partnering with development studios in game-making collabs is a solid step towards that goal. In February, Mattel hooked up with Zynga-owned Rollic Games in Istanbul to produce a mobile game based on Barbie that will also roll out this year.

Outright Games is a natural next partner for this push into video games, given that it has helped move several big-name kids entertainment brands into gaming in recent years, including PAW Patrol (Spin Master), How to Train Your Dragon (DreamWorks) and L.O.L. Surprise! (MGA Entertainment).