Activision Revokes EA’s License to 007

In a surprise move, video game maker Activision has snatched video game rights to the long-running James Bon franchise from Electronic Arts.

Activision, MGM, and EON Productions Ltd. today announced that Activision has acquired the exclusive rights to develop and publish interactive games based on the James Bond franchise. The license extends through the year 2014; according to entertainment publication Variety, the deal is worth about $50 million.

The deal is a major shakeup: Bond games have been the exlcusive province of video game giant Electronic Arts since the company published its first Bond-based game in 1998, and EA’s license wasn’t set to expire until 2010. While EA’s BOn games were initially a financial success, speculation about the Activision deal fingers EA for not being able to come up with a gaming tie-in for Casino Royale, the next film in the Bond franchise scheduled to hit theaters November 30, 2006. EA’s failure reportedly cost MGM millions in licensing fees.

Activision is reportedly already at work on a game tied to Casino Royale, and the deal gives the company the right to make original Bond games as well as games based on the James Bond movies.

Travis Rutherford, MGM’s executive VP for Consumer Products and Location-Based Entertainment, said. “Activision’s proven expertise in developing cutting edge games, their core competency in managing large movie franchises combined with the global appeal of the James Bond property, will create a new benchmark for the next-generation gaming experience. We are excited to be partnered with Activision and look forward to a long and mutually successful partnership.”

To date, Bond-based video games have sold roughly 30 million units worldwide.