Ideas can strike at the most curious times but being inspired by a half broken tube train display is more curious then most. I couldn’t help thinking “What was causing the display to glitch? What if it was a little critter? But they were on the tube, how did they get there and where were they going next?” And so, after a hastily scribbled note and a thumbnail sketch, the idea of Zoikz was born.
From that initial idea, the narrative started to take shape into a fledgling about an army of digital critters aiming to take over the world using electricity itself to multiply and mutate. They cause your iPhone to crash, your microwave to blow a fuse and who knows, those big media blackouts may be their handy work too. I tried the idea out on my kids (aka my personal focus group) and got the thumbs up to proceed.
Today, with the backing of Digital Outlook’s IP development program, that initial sketched idea has taken on a life of its own, grown into two hit games on Miniclip, and it’s just the beginning! The Zodiak Media Group (producers of kits TV hits Mr. Maker, Little Princess, Yo Gabba Gabba and Waybuloo to name but a few) were keen to get on board and help develop the napkin sketch to a fully-rounded world.
Very soon, the Zoikz had company, a misfit group of school friends who stumble upon the Zoikz and do whatever it takes to thwart their evil plans. Merging real world personas with their own digital avatars, the friends must find out how, why, and where the Zoikz will strike next and use all their skills to defeat them. The stakes are high, made even higher by the fact that the adult world does not believe them.
Aimed at kids 6-12, with a boys skew, Miniclip was the obvious partner to start testing how kids engaged with the Zoikz concept. The first game, Zoikz Defender, pitted players against the Zoikz in an attempt to rid the various electrical items of infestation.
And it wasn’t all digital. Egmont, one of the world’s leading children’s publishers, also came on board as the global publishing partner and supported the launch of Zoikz in popular pre-teen boys’ magazine Toxic to coincide with the Miniclip game launch.
Zoikz Defender has been played over 17.5 million times and with an average gameplay of nearly 14 minutes (more than many kids TV programmes), ‘how-to’ videos on YouTube and fan forums, there was clearly an appetite for more. The latest game, Zoik and Destroy has just broken the 22 million gameplay mark with an equally impressive time spent of just over 11 minutes.
So even though the Zoikz are determined to take over the world, one thing’s for sure, the friends are going to make it difficult! As they say, watch this space… you never know when the Zoikz will strike. Don’t take our word for it; Nigel Pickard, Group Director, Family Entertainment and Drama at RDF said:
“We are delighted to be working on such an interesting project and are confident that this franchise will continue to evolve with the ultimate aim of creating a cross media brand of digital, gaming, publishing and television.”
Debbie Cook, Director of Magazines, Egmont UK said:
“We are excited to be part of the development of Zoikz. It’s a great concept with incredible appeal to pre-teen boys and we look forward to developing the story as the franchise evolves.”
Alexander Williams, Head of Games at Miniclip said:
“This is a fantastic project to be involved with and our audience will love the challenge of the Zoikz game. Coupled with the offline components this is an exciting opportunity to build a great brand. Our aim is always to offer the best quality, free games available and this fits the bill perfectly.”
Links On Miniclip (Zoikz 1): www.miniclip.com/games/zoikz/en/ On Miniclip (Zoikz 2): www.miniclip.com/games/zoikz-2/en/ Official website: www.zoikz.com
