Just when you thought video game humor couldn't possibly get more puerile, there's a new mobile game that might just manage to outdo the upcoming "South Park" console game. "Family Guy," in partnership with the mobile game company TinyCo., is coming to iOS and Android.
Fox and TinyCo declined to give any real details about what the gameplay in the new mobile "Family Guy" adventure would be like except to confirm that it will be a free-to-play title complete with its own Griffin family-themed microtransactions. So as any weathered "Candy Crush" addict will tell you, if you really like "Family Guy," you might want to start teaching yourself the subtle art of self-control in preparation for the game's launch next year.
The story is being written in collaboration with the show's writers, and TinyCo said that players can expect additional narrative content to roll out after the original release to keep the story going, so to speak. But seeing as "Family Guy" made a name for itself with its now legendary non sequiturs, I'm not sure there's much narrative cohesion to "lose" in the first place when adapting the franchise to a smaller screen.
Releasing some time in 2014, the "Family Guy" game comes follows Fox's resounding success in adapting another of its popular cartoon shows, "The Simpsons," to a mobile game with "The Simpsons: Tapped Out" in 2012. Co-developer Electronic Arts reported this past October that it had made $100 million in net revenue from the game.
Yannick LeJacq is a contributing writer for NBC News who has also covered technology and games for Kill Screen, The Wall Street Journal and The Atlantic. You can follow him on Twitter at @YannickLeJacq and reach him by email at: Yannick.LeJacq@nbcuni.com