Deep Silver has the X Factor

The publisher of the X Factor game unveiled by MCV last week has been named – it’s Koch Media.

After a no-doubt grueling round of auditions and pitches, Koch’s Deep Silver publishing label has met the approval of brand owner FremantleMedia, Simon Cowell’s production firm SyCo and, we assume, fellow judges Cheryl Cole, Dannii Minogue and Louis Walsh.

Deep Silver has since charged French outfit Hydravision to develop the music talent show’s transition to consoles as a singing-based 360, PS3 and Wii X Factor game due in Q4.

The X Factor Video Game will be released in European territories where the show is aired, including UK, Finland, Netherlands, France, Belgium, Italy, Luxembourg, Germany, Denmark, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.

To work with a brand such as The X Factor is an incredible opportunity,” commented Georg Larch, international marketing director, Deep Silver.

The X Factor is a truly global brand which is instantly recognisable to thousands of gamers and TV fans around the world. With Hydravision, Deep Silver will be creating a game that is a true adaptation of the show from the hilarity of the auditions to the excitement of the live show.”

Deep Silver says the game will follow the show’s format by ‘testing the singing skills of the player’ with early auditions, boot camp, and judges’ houses levels along with single-player career plus multiplayer duet and vocal battle functions. Even ‘the sharp critique of the judges’ will play a part – suggesting scathing soundbite put-downs from show mastermind Simon Cowell will be prominent.

The X Factor, which began airing in 2004, is a major hit across the 20 countries the format is aired in, and Simon Cowell is set to launch the series in the US soon, ensuring its global status.

It’s not Koch’s first big licence signing, MCV understands – we revealed two months ago that the publisher was secretly working on a still unannounced Wii and DS Doctor Who game.