Discovery Taps Hive Media to Develop Facebook Social Game for "Deadliest Catch"

Hive Media, a San Francisco-based company that specializes in branded social games, says that it has been tapped by Discovery Communications to develop and produce a social game based on "Deadliest Catch," which is currently the highest-rated show on the Discovery Channel (note: the show, which is produced by Original Productions, is a documentary reality series that centers on the crews of crab fishing boats on the Bering Sea). The game is slated to be released in November on Facebook. The deal between the companies is for the North American market only, and was brokered on behalf of Discovery by its licensing agent, the Joester Loria Group.

According to Hive Media, the "Deadliest Catch" game will use what it describes as its "collaborative content delivery platform" to allow players to "experience the excitement and high stakes of crab fishermen." Players will act as captains of their own crab boats, the company says, and navigate the Bering Sea to cast and harvest pots, while balancing dangers against profits as they attempt to reach the top of a "crab count leaderboard." Discovery says that it also plans to launch a "Deadliest Catch" console game in the fall, and that the console and social games will be part of a "three part interactive gaming experience" that will also include a mobile game. "Integrating the series into a branded social game is a great way to give 'Deadliest Catch' fans an ongoing interactive experience," Elizabeth Bakacs, Discovery Channel's VP of licensing, said in a prepared statement. "We look forward to working with Hive Media to bring the real-world adventures of 'Deadliest Catch' to social gaming."