Simon’s Cat has now spent 15 years as one of YouTube’s most mischievous little felines. Now, the animated animal is expanding its reach in the field of licensing. Its parent firm Banijay Brands (which is part of Paris-based media empire Banijay Group) has extended its partnership with Tactile Games, which will create more mobile titles inspired by Simon’s Cat.
Banijay and Tactile have inked a six-year deal that will give the publisher the licensing rights for Simon’s Cat games. So far, Tactile has launched three titles based on Simon Tolfield‘s animated, four-legged troublemaker. Those games have the themed titles Crunch Time, Pop Time, and Story Time, and they’ve combined to collect more than 20 million downloads in all.
The success of those Simon’s Cat games is no surprise, given the size and dedication of the YouTube channel’s fanbase. Tolfield’s amusing cartoons have received more than 1.4 billion lifetime views, and new ones still arrive in time for major tentpoles like Valentine’s Day.
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To take the Simon’s Cat brand off YouTube, Tolfield has pursued numerous merchandising opportunities over the years. Alongside that expansion, Simon’s Cat has worked with multiple corporate partners, ranging from Frederator to Endemol Shine. The latter of those companies, which acquired a controlling stake in Simon’s Cat in 2015, has since merged with Banijay.
“Simon’s Cat has a strong, passionate fanbase and the brand has already proven to be incredibly popular globally with mobile gamers,” said Banijay Brands Director of Gaming and Gambling Mark Woollard in a statement. “Tactile Games has done a great job in nurturing the brand and delivering high-quality products in this space, and we cannot wait to see what it has in store next.”
Tolfield added that the new games will join the “whole world” that has been built up around his animated creation. Simon’s Cat shorts have come a long way since the cartoon kitty first caused trouble for his owner. Even after 15 years, there’s still plenty of appetite for new videos, and viewers will now get more chances to play their way through Simon’s world.
