Activision spies James Bond license through 2014 @ Gaming Target

Written by John Scalzo on May 03, 2006

News: Mr. Bond, meet the X-Men and Spider-Man and Shrek and The Transformers and...

Activision announced today they have secured the rights to developed games based on James Bond through the year 2014.

The terms of the deal state that Activision has the worldwide publishing rights to create games for all consoles, handhelds and the PC. Activision also has the right to create games based on any Bond movie or use an original Bond adventure.

"James Bond is the ultimate action movie franchise, and we look forward to establishing a long-term relationship with MGM and EON," said Mike Griffith, president and CEO of Activision Publishing Inc. "The James Bond franchise creates tremendous global expansion opportunities for Activision as it is one of the few video game licenses that appeals equally to domestic and international consumers. James Bond storylines are rich with style, drama and action, all of which lend themselves perfectly to developing extraordinary games that capture the thrill of being the most celebrated secret agent in the world."

This announcement actually contradicts a previous announcement made by EA. In 2003, EA announced that they would hold the James Bond license until 2010. It's unclear how that deal fell apart or if MGM has granted the use of the license to both companies.

Activision did not reveal any new Bond games as part of the announcement. It was widely assumed that EA was working on a game based on Casino Royale, the next Bond film, scheduled to hit theaters this November.

But regardless of who owns Bond's license to kill, we'll have more on the next Bond game soon.