• GameDaily Biz, Friday, July 20, 2007 11 AM

It's a sign of the times: Nickelodeon, Viacom's kid giant, is moving very aggressively into the burgeoning world of casual gaming, pouring a hefty $100 million into the development and renovation of the new and old casual gaming destinations that fall under its umbrella.

MTVN has also thrust considerable resources behind a variety of other gaming genres, including massively multiplayer online games and console-based and handheld games. In the last few years, the company has acquired such properties as online gaming portal Xfire, the online video and game producer Atom Shockwave, promotion site GameTrailers.com, virtual community Neopets and the game publisher Harmonix, creator of the popular Guitar Hero series.

The company laid out its extensive new plans, the bulk of which will be completed between 2008-2009. The list covers a broad range of gaming audiences and types, from myNOGGIN, a subscription service of educational games for preschoolers, to an the addition of multiplayer gaming for the portals Nicktropolis, Addicting Games and Addicting Worlds, the launch of casual gaming site NGames for teen girls, to an expansion of game offerings tailored to families on Shockwave.

Read the whole story at GameDaily Biz »