Hasbro acquires Cranium, licensing deal with EA comes into play

Back in August 2007, Electronic Arts and Hasbro signed a deal that  would allow them to share intellectual properties. Because of the deal, IPs from either group could potentially be turned into video game titles or toys, respectively.

After the agreement, we’ve just learned that Hasbro has acquired board maker Cranium. Given this development, it may not be long before we see Hullabaloo and Zooreka in video game form. More details after the jump!

We learned back in August of last year that Electronic Arts and company Hasbro have collaborated that will allow the two entities to share IPs for use either in video games or the toy business.

This partnership might just expand as Hasbro has recently acquired board game maker Cranium. The latter is responsible for distributing much-loved pastimes such as Cranium, Hullabaloo, Cadoo, and Zooreka.

It was also said that the acquisition cost Hasbro US$ 77.5 million. While both EA and Hasbro have yet to comment on whether Cranium games will be included in the deal, analysts believe that such a scenario is highly possible.

Wachovia Capital Markets, for one, firmly believes that we will soon be seeing Cranium games translated into video game titles. The above mentioned partnership included mobiles, handhelds, PC, and consoles and will take effect sometime this year.

Said Cranium co-founder Richard Tait of the deal, “Hasbro gave us an opportunity to take the brand much more global. Their organizational and distribution depth in the United States and internationally is a great opportunity for us both.”

Via Reuters