South Park: The Game Announced, Obsidian Working on It

When I reported on Obsidian working on a lead animation franchise project I admit that South Park, of all things, wasn’t particularly high on my list of possible licenses.  But, going by GameInformer’s January cover, that’s what the Fallout: New Vegas developer is working on: a full-blown South Park RPG, with script and dialogue penned by the cartoon’s creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone.

Trey Parker and Matt Stone have never been shy about their love of gaming. From Randy Marsh playing Guitar Hero in his underpants to the legendary “Make Love, Not Warcraft” episode, the comic duo have demonstrated an obvious familiarity with the medium. Now that they’ve conquered television, film, and Broadway, the next target on their hit list is the gaming industry.

Thanks to a collaboration with THQ and Obsidian, Parker and Stone are writing the script, performing the dialogue, and overseeing the development of South Park: The Game. Unlike the cash-in Acclaim titles from over a decade ago, this ambitious project is a full-scale RPG for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and PC. As the new kid in South Park, it’ll be up to you to make friends and defend the town from a wide range of threats. Be sure to check out our January issue for all the details, as well as an interview with Parker and Stone themselves.

This is probably the weirdest news I have had to report on so far.

Update: The GameInformer article has since now been corrected and mentions PC as a platform, as does the announcement press release:

THQ Joins Forces with South Park Digital Studios on (South Park: The Game)

Matt Stone and Trey Parker Collaborating with THQ and Obsidian Entertainment

AGOURA HILLS, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–THQ (NASDAQ:THQI) today announced that they are collaborating with South Park Digital Studios LLC, the joint venture between (South Park) creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker and Viacom Media Networks and Obsidian Entertainment, Inc. to develop the next chapter in South Park entertainment: (South Park: The Game.)

(Matt and Trey are arguably two of the most important comedic talents of their generation. Bringing their vision of South Park to the interactive space is a dream-come-true.)

(South Park: The Game) is an epic role-playing adventure that will allow the user to befriend Stan, Kyle, Cartman and Kenny and explore the quiet little mountain town like never before.

(Our goal is simple: to put creative talent first,) said Danny Bilson, EVP Core Games, THQ. (Matt and Trey are arguably two of the most important comedic talents of their generation. Bringing their vision of South Park to the interactive space is a dream-come-true.)

The first details of (South Park: The Game) will be revealed in the exclusive cover story in Game Informer®’s January issue, shipping to subscribers in early December 2011.

(South Park: The Game) is scheduled to be available for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, and Windows PC in the second half of calendar 2012.

About THQ

THQ is a leading worldwide developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software. The company develops its products for all popular game systems, personal computers, wireless devices and the internet. Headquartered in Los Angeles County, California, THQ sells product through its global network of offices located throughout North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. More information about THQ and its products may be found at THQ.com.

THQ and their respective logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of THQ Inc.

All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

About South Park Digital Studios

South Park Digital Studios is a joint venture between Viacom Media Networks and Matt Stone and Trey Parker, the creators of the Emmy® and Peabody® Award-winning series South Park. South Park Digital Studios is a digital animation and development studio dedicated to creating mobile and digital applications, digital goods and video gaming products, as well as overseeing social networking and digital syndication for South Park. South Park Digital Studios owns and operates the website SouthParkStudios.com and eight international versions of the site. South Park is a registered trademark of Comedy Partners, a wholly-owned division of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA and VIAB)

About Obsidian Entertainment, Inc.

Obsidian Entertainment is an entertainment software development company passionately dedicated to making high quality role playing games for Windows PC and console systems. Obsidian was founded in 2003 by five game development veterans who’ve produced, programmed and/or designed award-winning role playing games for a variety of platforms over the last 15 years: Feargus Urquhart, Chris Parker, Darren Monahan, Chris Avellone and Chris Jones. Obsidian Entertainment’s website can be found at Obsidianent.com.