MEGA Brands and Microsoft Game Studios enter into global licensing partnership for 'Halo Wars'

MEGA Brands Inc. is thrilled to announce today that it has entered into a global licensing agreement with Microsoft Game Studios to develop construction toys based on its much-anticipated new game, Halo Wars, a real- time, exciting strategy game based on the legendary Halo(R) universe. The agreement was brokered by Twentieth Century Fox Licensing & Merchandising, licensing agent for the Halo franchise.


Under the global agreement, MEGA Brands will develop the first-ever construction toy sets based on the key characters and vehicles of Halo Wars under the Mega Bloks umbrella. The video game will be available at retailers worldwide in early 2009. The Mega Bloks licensed product offerings will make their retail debut worldwide in the summer of 2009.


"We're excited to have this exclusive opportunity to partner with Microsoft and 20th Century Fox Licensing & Merchandising and build on the immense success of the Halo franchise," said Vic Bertrand, Chief Innovation Officer of MEGA Brands. "We look forward to bringing the iconic characters and vehicles of the video game to life through Mega Bloks."


"We consider MEGA brands to be one of the premiere leaders in the constructible toys and games category. Their reputation for creativity and innovation is inspiring and we look forward to seeing it applied to the legendary Halo franchise," noted Michael Peikoff, Senior-Vice President U.S. Licensing, Twentieth Century Fox Licensing and Merchandising.


Developed by Ensemble Studios, the creators of the critically-acclaimed Age of Empires series, Halo Wars was designed specifically for Xbox 360(R) and brings a genre that has typically thrived on the PC seamlessly to consoles. From specialized controls to redesigned resource management and unit command, Halo Wars gives you the fluid strategy experience you've been waiting for on a console.