By Allison Watkinson
TLL Reporter
Successful game publisher Volley has purchased exclusive licensing rights to all Sony Pictures Television voice games for Amazon and Google smart devices.
These licensed games will include Jeopardy!, Wheel of Fortune, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, and Pyramid. This agreement has cemented Volley’s position as the largest developer of interactive voice games in the industry, with tens of millions of players worldwide.
“Sony Pictures is a major household name, and this licensing deal opens up the opportunity to reach a wider audience that may not have previous experience with voice games,” said Max Child, CEO and co-founder of Volley. “Beloved game shows like ‘Jeopardy!’ are a perfect match for at-home gaming since they’re family-friendly and voice control is a natural interface for trivia competitions. We are excited to see the continued rise of voice games and their adoption into our everyday lives.”
Founded in 2016, Volley builds voice-controlled entertainment applications on smart devices such as Google Home, Amazon Alexa, smart speakers, displays, TVs, cars, and mobile devices.
These voice apps will join Volley’s expanding network of games and entertainment experiences on Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, alongside The Price Is Right, Song Quiz, and Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader. Volley also recently acquired top-rated Amazon Alexa game Question of the Day in a multi-million dollar deal.
“At SPT, we’ve been invested in building voice games from the beginning,” said Suzanne Prete, Sony’s EVP for Game Shows. “Over the years, through Amazon Alexa and other platforms, our games have reached millions of people. Now we’re excited to work with Volley to hit an even greater scale,”
All four of the following games are available on Amazon Alexa with Jeopardy! and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, available for Google Assistant-enabled devices:
- “Jeopardy!”: Test your knowledge with new clues every weekday by playing a wide range of categories including sports, pop culture, travel, world history, and much more.
- “Wheel of Fortune”: Spin the wheel and call a consonant, buy a vowel, or solve the puzzle. You can play with up to three friends or family in a local party game.
- “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?”: Answer trivia questions correctly to climb the money tree, from $500 to $1,000,000. Every day, there are new questions and another chance to play.
- “Pyramid”: Guess a series of words or phrases based on descriptions given to you by your smart device, friends or family.