Starz Media and Merscom  have collaberated on two new casual games, Righteous Kill II: Everyone Respects the Gun and Party Down. Righteous Kill II: Everyone Respects the Gun is a squel to Righteous Kill: The Game, which was based on the movie. Party Down is a time management game based on the orginal comedy series set to debut on Starz. 

“We are very pleased to expand our gaming relationship with Starz and Overture Films through these two appealing titles”. said Lloyd Melnick, chief customer officer at Merscom, “They are a fantastic media company with multiple access points to consumers through theatrical release, premium television, DVD and more. They fit very well with our strategy of creating casual games based on properties that our audience already loves.”

Creating games based on movies or TV shows can be a good way to go, but it can also be risky. Games based on TV shows or movies already have a fan base interested in the game, but if the game is not done correctly it will not live up to the movie or TV show. Games that don’t live up to the shows end up excluding the audience of the shows or movies. Probably not the case with Righteous Kill II since it is a sequel and if the first one didn’t do well there wouldn’t be a second one.

Party Down will be available on March 20, 2009. Righteous Kill II: Everyone Respects the Gun is set to be released in June 2009.

Press Release Follows:

Englewood, Colo. and Chapel Hill, N.C.   March 5, 2009  Starz Media and Merscom announced details of two new upcoming casual games, including Righteous Kill II: Everyone Respects the Gun, a sequel to the hit hidden object game Righteous Kill: The Game, based on the September 2008 movie from Overture Films starring Robert De Niro and Al Pacino, and a time management game based on the upcoming Starz original comedy series 
Party Down. 

Both free trials and full retail purchases of the Party Down casual game download will be available at a wide array of leading gaming and entertainment online portals and sites, including AOL Games, Big Fish Games, MSN Games, Oberon Games, RealArcade, Shockwave, Yahoo! Games and Starz.com at http://www.starz.com/originals/PartyDown/game.
 
Party Down is set to debut on Starz on March 20 at 10:30PM ET/PT, and available by for early sneak previews beginning March 13 with several cable and satellite providers, including Charter Communications, which will be hosting a free trial of the Party Down game on Charter.Net.

Righteous Kill II: Everyone Respects the Gun, is expected to be available for trial and purchase in June 2009, commensurate with the exclusive pay TV premiere of Righteous Kill on Starz.
 
We are very pleased to expand our gaming relationship with Starz and Overture Films through these two appealing titles. said Lloyd Melnick, chief customer officer at Merscom, They are a fantastic media company with multiple access points to consumers through theatrical release, premium television, DVD and more. They fit very well with our strategy of creating casual games based on properties that our audience already loves.
 
Casual gaming is an effective way at both finding new and appealing revenue opportunities across the larger Starz family of media concerns, as well as building name recognition and awareness for the properties themselves, said Marc DeBevoise, senior vice president digital media, business development & strategy for Starz. Merscom has proven to be an effective reliable gaming partner for us and we are delighted to extend the relationship for the future enjoyment of gaming fans.
 
Party Down, a new 10-episode comedy series from creator Rob Thomas (Veronica Mars, Cupid), follows a Los Angeles catering team  a sextet of Hollywood wannabes stuck working for tips while hoping for their big break.  Party Down stars Ken Marino (Veronica Mars, Role Models), Adam Scott (Tell Me You Love Me, Step Brothers), Jane Lynch (Role Models, The 40 Year Old Virgin), Martin Starr (Knocked Up, Freaks and Geeks), Ryan Hansen (Veronica Mars, Friday the 13th (2009)) and Lizzy Caplan (True Blood, Cloverfield, Mean Girls). Celebrity guest appearances include: Ed Begley, Jr., Marilu Henner, Joey Lauren Adams, Breckin Meyer, Rob Corddry and Steven Weber.
 
In the Party Down game, the player takes over a team at the famous Party Down catering company as you serve the elite of Hollywood. Serve food, DJ the dance floor and keep conversations going as you schmooze with the stars and try and build up your reputation while waiting for your big break.
 
Work your way through 8 unique parties at huge yachts, extravagant balls, and exclusive night clubs. Appease the masses by dealing with all the issues that come along with high maintenance Hollywood stars such as rampaging dogs, angry boyfriends, and the paparazzi.  Keep your cool, and show them what you got and maybe you can become the next big thing.
 
In Righteous Kill II: Everyone Respects the Gun, the player once again takes on the role of Erica Dean as she looks into a new rash of murders. The game is set about a year after the events of the first Poet Killer.  A mob hitman is found dead, with a poem lying on his body.  Erica Dean is called in to find the killer before things get out of hand. Work through multiple versions of varied locations looking for clues to the identity of the Poet Killer. Enlist the help of Mary Jacobs, a new forensic officer, to assist Erica in analyzing the items from the crime scenes. Hunt down the killer and put an end to his vigilante killings before it’s too late.