THE GAME FACTORY today announced the signing of a worldwide licensing deal with MoonScoop, Europe's leading producer and distributor of animated series for television, to develop and publish CODE LYOKO for Nintendo DS. The game will be featuring elements from both the RPG and adventure genre and is scheduled for release by fall of 2006.

The deal has been signed through Kidz Entertainment, which has been appointed licensing agent for Scandinavia and Kidz Entertainment will work with MoonScoop, Game Factory and US licensing agent FUNimation to manage development of the game and provide strong marketing support.

The game will be based on the popular 3D animated action-adventure television series about a group of students who uncover a parallel universe called Lyoko inside a super-computer that is threatened by a virus that could destroy the universe. Four ordinary students, Jeremy, Odd, Ulrich and Yumi, must help a virtual humanoid creature named "Aelita" to stop rogue computer XANA's latest attack on their real world...

Nicolas Atlan, VP, Executive Producer of MoonScoop said: "It is has always been our intention to explore gaming opportunities for CODE LYOKO as we're confident that it's a property that can be a hit on this platform. We're delighted to be working with The Game Factory on this project."

Axel Dauchez, CEO of MoonScoop added: " We look forward to sign further licensees over the coming months through Kidz Entertainment, our partner in the region, and believe we have a great team in place for extending the CODE LYOKO brand throughout 2006."

The television series has been rated one of the best shows of all Cartoon Network series. In France CODE LYOKO is a key show on France 3 and it has been voted the best show by kids on Canal J. Additionally more the successful show has been acquired by several major television stations across Europe including Cartoon Network's channel Toonami in the UK and Cartoon Network Spain, Jetix Latin America, TVN in Chile, Canada's YTV and Radio Canada, the Disney Channel Italy, NRK in Norway, Morocco's 2M, Noga in Israel and distributor CFI in Africa as well as a number of deals signed with distributors across India and the Middle East.

Intensive TV broadcasting in 2005 and 2006 is being supported by a broad range of licensing products within toys, apparel, stationary, school bags. FUNimation® Entertainment is exclusive licensing agent in the US targeting partners in all major categories and Marvel Toys holds the worldwide master toy license.

Kidz Entertainment is in discussions with a number of other potential licensees in the Scandinavian region. Director Morten Geschwendtner said: "We think this is a very hot boy's property. There are lots of episodes of the television show and that will provide us with the support we need to establish CODE LYOKO as a long-term boys' brand."