- The ‘mass-market’ game is set to arrive later this year
- Barbie has previously had collaborations with games like Stumble Guys
- Previous games have been aimed squarely at kids in a fairly narrow set of genres
Mattel, the company behind dozens of famous board games and toy franchises, is set to partner with developer Rollic for what they describe as a new ‘mass-market’ Barbie game for mobile. While the Barbie franchise has had its own mobile games, and some high-profile collaborations with games like Stumble Guys, this title looks set to be different.
If you’re not familiar – somehow – with Barbie, the collectible dress-up doll has been a perennial favourite of kids and adults for decades now. First introduced in 1959, the toy line recently got a huge boost thanks to the Margot Robbie film of the same name. This capitalised on a growing adult following for the typically kid-oriented line of dolls and merchandise.
America’s Hello Kitty
Without getting into the history of Barbie and all the complex background around the public’s view of her, it’s undeniable that the toy line is probably at the highest profile that it has been for ages. What’s more, the film adaptation seems to have given it an even bigger boost by presenting something smart and subversive, more so than the more simple kid-oriented fare from the past.
But what exactly does a ‘mass-market’ mobile game mean? Well, for one it could be just that, something that looks to bridge the gap and focus not just on a younger audience, but an older or all-ages game. With Rollic being a subsidiary of Zynga – the guys behind Farmville – there’s a lot of experience there for games that appeal to a wide audience.
Barbie Dreamhouse Tycoon was a collaboration between Mattel and Gamefam for Roblox
And if you’re interested in finding out what kind of games Barbie has been a part of over the years, why not check some of them out? From Stumble Guys’ big collaboration with the franchise to Barbie Color Creations, while she can’t quite match the presence of franchises like Pokemon on mobile, it seems Mattel is looking to fix that.
