Skiing games double up

Winter sports enthusiasts may be pleased to learn that European publishers JoWood and RTL Enterprises have concluded a deal to see their respective skiing franchises, Ski Racing and Ski Alpine, merge to form a new game: Alpine Ski Racing 2007. The game will be developed and published by both companies working in tandem, with a scheduled worldwide release date of Q3 2006. At this point it has not been confirmed which formats the game will be developed for, but earlier versions of both franchises have made it to the PC, PlayStation 2, and Xbox.

Previously, the brands had been seen as key rivals in the winter sports subgenre, especially in the European market--only JoWood's Ski Racing titles made it across the Atlantic to the US. The managing director of RTL Enterprises, Holger Strecker, indicated that one of the key reasons for the collaboration was the greater commercial potential for the new franchise over two separate ones. Strecker cited "RTL's promotion power" as a major driver towards what he hopes will be the game's "mass-marketability."