Videogame Firms Make a Play for Women

October 13, 2009 at 5:00 am PT

Videogame publishers, pushing to expand their businesses, are making games that target girls and women a new industry battleground.

This holiday season, more games than ever are being geared toward female players. Electronic Arts Inc. (ERTS) is releasing the latest installment of its “Littlest Pet Shop” game for young girls and introducing a series of fashion-themed games called “Charm Girls Club” for older girls later this month. Sony Corp. (SNE) in August packaged a lilac version of its PlayStation Portable device with a “Hannah Montana” game, based on the popular television show about a girl and her secret pop career.

Publishers also will target women with workout games. Ubisoft Entertainment SA is introducing “Your Shape,” a personal-training game, and “Just Dance,” a dancing game, in November. Nintendo Co. hit the market with “Wii Fit Plus,” a sequel to its popular fitness game, in September.

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Tagged with: advertising, Charm Girls Club, digital, Digits, economy, Electronic Arts, entertainment, frontpage, girls, Hannah Montana, hardware, Just Dance, Littlest Pet Shop, music, Nintendo, Personal Training, PlayStation Portable, software, Sony, television, The Wall Street Journal, Ubisoft Entertainment, videogames, videogames, Wii Fit Plus, women, workout, Your Shape, Yukari Iwatani Kane

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