Double Fusion Finds God

Left Behind Games, makers of the real-time strategy game, "Left Behind: Eternal Forces," has signed a deal with Double Fusion to integrate advertising and product placement into the PC game. The game, which was originally slated to release this past Easter but is now aiming for a Christmas launch, is set in New York City. Double Fusion will work with family-friendly companies to place ads within the game's billboards and buildings. One area that the company will focus on is Times Square, where the game's jumbotron, video boards, and billboards will feature companies who pay to be in the game.

"We love the idea of the video screens in Times Square displaying current advertising,
actually contributing to the realism that gamers expect to see in a pseudo-futuristic
New York City," said Troy Lyndon, CEO and co-founder of Left Behind Games.

"Eternal Forces" is the first of many Left Behind Games. It's the largest and most expensive Christian game ever developed. The plan is to tap into the 62 million people who have purchased the book series. The game is aimed at Christian gamers between the ages of 13 and 34.

In the game, players will be able to choose a side and play out The Apocalypse from the Bible. The book series focused on the End of Days and the Book of Revelations. The RTS game will allow players to experience this in full 3D.

"Left Behind: Eternal Forces has all the marks of a top hit - great single and multiplayer gameplay, great distribution, and a great story based on the hugely popular Left Behind book series," said Jonathan Epstein, president and CEO of Double Fusion. "The title offers a tremendous platform for advertisers, both mainstream and faith-based, to reach the gaming audience in a family-friendly
environment."

Beyond the advertising perspectives, it will be interesting to watch how sales of this game perform at retail. Although one-quarter of gamers in 2003 were Christians, Christian games have failed to catch on at retail. Before "Eternal Forces," most Christian games were low-budget and sold only in Christian bookstores or online. Thanks to the "Left Behind" brand, "Eternal Forces" will be sold at traditional game retailers. And the production quality is supposed to be on par with PC games, rather than Christian games.

If this game takes off, there will not only be more "Left Behind" games, there could be more publishers interested in cashing in with games that have decent budgets that are squarely aimed at the Christian audience. In other words, "Left Behind" could do for games what "The Passion of the Christ" did for Hollywood--find a whole new audience that has been ignored for decades.