Curiozity Corner: November 2012

Experienced and first time gamers alike are sure to delight in the three dimensional wonders of Oz!! Warner Brothers Interactive enlisted Spooky Cool Labs to help kick off the 75th anniversary of the classic film with the debut of the first ever Wizard of Oz citybuilding social game. And what better host than Facebook, the world's largest social network?

Over two years in the making, at a cost of 8 million dollars, every single penny is evident. The wonderful wizards at Spooky Cool Labs have re-created the merry old land of Oz with sumptuously vivid graphics. The film characters were painstakingly generated entirely from scratch. The game is now in open beta testing and will undergo constant tweaks and updates. In addition to the stunning imagery, the game is further enhanced with stills, film clips, and of course, no Oz game would be complete without the beloved soundtrack.

The ultimate goal of the game, as in the movie, is to return Dorothy to Kansas. Your quest begins after Dorothy has vanquished the Wicked Witch of the East. Glinda charges her with restoring Munchkinland to it's former glory and assembling the yellow brick road. Naturally, the game takes some liberties, but they retain the whimsy of the original Munchkinland and there's nothing you can't imagine fitting right in with the movie. Some elements such as the Munchkin Fire Brigade, seem to be based on Munchkin development ideas that were abandoned early in the film production process.

Munchkinland is customizable. You decide what buildings to construct, where to put them, and you can even re-name Munchkinland. There are many, many possibilities. You can share screenshots, invite other players to be your neighbors and send gifts to other players. Sound easy enough? Not so fast, my pretties, not so fast. Your personal Shangri L'Oz is not without peril. You are subject to attack by flying monkeys and appearances by the lean, green, queen of mean herself, the Wicked Witch of the West!!!

Oz fans are so enamored with the game, the fan club Everything Oz has created a Facebook page where members can confer, converse, and otherwise hobnob with other players.

Log on to Facebook to travel over the rainbow to the magical, new, interactive land of Oz!

Big thanks and kudos to Spooky Cool Labs for producing a gorgeous, quality Wizard of Oz

game!!!

Press Release

SPOOKY COOL LABS AND WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT OPEN THE WIZARD OF OZ™ FACEBOOK GAME TO THE PUBLIC TODAY

The Official Social Game for the Iconic Film Includes Video Clips, Music and Beloved Characters in Advanced 3D Game PlayCHICAGO (November 1, 2012) – Spooky Cool Labs and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment today announced that The Wizard of Oz game for Facebook has launched to the public. Based on the beloved film, the game sets players on the adventure of a lifetime as they join DOROTHY™, TOTO™ and all of her friends on a trip down the YELLOW BRICK ROAD™, which game players must build.
With full license from Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, the in-game experience includes music from the original soundtrack, video clips from the film and likenesses of its beloved characters, including Judy Garland as Dorothy and Margaret Hamilton as the WICKED WITCH OF THE WEST™.

“We’re proud to have created such an immersive experience based on the greatest, most-watched movie in history, The Wizard of Oz” says Joe Kaminkow, founder and CEO of Spooky Cool Labs. “Players will get to enjoy interacting with Dorothy, GLINDA THE GOOD WITCH™, TIN MAN™, SCARECROW™, COWARDLY LION™ and all of the other characters people have loved for years. Warner Bros. is an amazing partner and it’s been a wonderful project to work on with them.”

Players arrive in Munchkinland right after Dorothy’s house lands on the WICKED WITCH OF THE EAST™. With help from Glinda, players become familiar with Munchkinland and begin to build their very-own Munchkintown. They must construct buildings, interact with and protect the locals, and build the Yellow Brick Road in order to lead Dorothy and her friends to their ultimate destination, the EMERALD CITY™.

While on their journey through the Land of Oz, players will encounter the other characters from the film, whether on the Yellow Brick Road or fending off the Wicked Witch of the West and her WINGED MONKEYS™ from attacking the town. Players can share their experience with friends by visiting each other's Munchkinlands and helping with quests, as well as sharing their favorite moments and experiences through various social features.

In celebration of the game’s launch, Spooky Cool Labs is offering players an opportunity to collect all items that The Wicked Witch of the East left behind in addition to her RUBY SLIPPERS™. The promotion is available for a limited time, so fans of the Land of Oz can go to Facebook now to start their journey to the Emerald City: https://www.facebook.com/thewizardofozgame

About Spooky Cool LabsSpooky Cool Labs is a game developer and publisher committed to introducing the next generation of social games to be played and enjoyed by all generations. Located in Chicago, Spooky Cool Labs was founded by legendary game designers Joe Kaminkow and Larry DeMar, who have both created some of the most well-known games in arcade, pinball and slots. The accomplished duo is now leading Spooky Cool Labs with a vision focused on creating cutting-edge social games built on great brands and industry leading design for social networking services and mobile devices. Follow us on Twitter http://twitter.com/spookycoollabs

About Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, a division of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group, is a premier worldwide publisher, developer, licensor and distributor of entertainment content for the interactive space across all current and future platforms, including console, handheld and PC-based gaming for both internal and third party game titles.

THE WIZARD OF OZ and all related characters and elements are trademarks of and © Turner Entertainment Co.
(s12)

Links for Reviews

http://kstp.com/article/stories/s2831499.shtml

http://popwatch.ew.com/2012/10/22/wizard-of-oz-facebook-game/

http://kotaku.com/5958193/you-have-to-play-the-wizard-of-oz-if-only-to-experience-the-joy-of-munchkincam?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=dlvr.it

http://blog.games.com/2012/10/31/the-wizard-of-oz-facebook-preview/

http://venturebeat.com/2012/11/01/here-come-the-brands-spooky-cool-labs-launches-wizard-of-oz-game-on-facebook/

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/facebook-wizard-oz-video-game-381444

Be sure to visit Spooky Cool Labs Blog, Facebook, and Forum for tips and tricks

http://spookycool.com/blog/

https://www.facebook.com/SpookyCoolLabs

http://spookycool.com/forums/forum.php

Fan help from Everything Oz