Children-focused dev Nik Nak creating Ology games for Wii

by Jason Dobson { Jan 22nd 2008 at 12:30PM }

Since announcing plans to re-imagine Templar Publishing's popular Ology series of children's books as video games last October, Codemasters has kept mum on the project, stating only that the first title in the series, Dragonology, will ship for the Wii and Nintendo DS during the second half of this year. Now Kuju's recently formed studio Nik Nak has confirmed that it is handling not only the development of Dragonology, but the follow up Wizardology as well. Nik Nak's efforts only extend to the Wii versions of the games, which are expected to take a more action-oriented approach to the material, so we're left to guess on whose lap the DS versions will fall.

Details remain scarce on the titles, though Nik Nak notes that the games will "tap into children's insatiable appetite for all things magical and mythical," and that the Wii remote will make them accessible to both new and seasoned gamers alike. Accessible, sure, but will the waggle-enhanced gameplay make learning about dragons or casting magical spells more fun?

Tags: Codemasters, Dragonology, dragons, kids, kuju, nik nak, NikNak, ology, waggle, Wizardology, wizards

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Chase @ Jan 22nd 2008 12:36PM

*waits for vibrating broomstick Wiimote attachment to lead to a boom in Wii sales by women consumers*

Evan @ Jan 22nd 2008 1:18PM

World's most condensed web-page!

Donald @ Jan 22nd 2008 1:47PM

Piratology but no Ninjology?

Fail.

Veko @ Jan 22nd 2008 2:15PM

If it weren't for the millions of dollars they'll make, I'd ask 'Why?'.

Damn shovelware.

onetrueping @ Jan 22nd 2008 2:25PM

Bah, the "Ology" series of books is pure tripe. Something that purports to be a reference, however vague, should have some basis in research. These books, however, hold absolutely nothing of the sort.

Pardon my rant, but I'm a mythology purist, and this is crap.

x(wai)x @ Jan 23rd 2008 8:24AM

I don't especially mind myself, but then I'm a fantasy buff, and I love dragons. When you're into five different mythos that all say different things about dragons, one more set of beliefs on how they operate doesn't make much of a difference.

bobartig @ Jan 22nd 2008 2:29PM

When I was a kid, playing D&D and reading Tolkien meant you were some kind of devil-worshipping wiccan who was going to end up in some goat blood-drinking cult and never be seen by your family again.

Now we've got Harry Potter's limitless commercial success driving the acceptance of all this occult, mystical content being targeted towards children, and its considered ok.

So strategically placing your delayed blast fireball and chucking a fistful of d6 is going to land you in hell. Running around waving wands while chanting nonsense latin-inspired phrases is fine. I just don't get it.

And, pirateology? ZOMGWTFBBQFFSKTHXW00T!

SimonBob @ Jan 22nd 2008 3:11PM

Learning about dragons and stuff? How could that _not_ appear to be fun on the outside packaging? It would take a colossal screw-up on their part to end up with something that won't generate thousands of dollars in rental sales (and I speak as one who was duped into renting "Mario's Time Machine" as a wayward youth.)