Freakin' Sweet! - Family Guy Online Beta Opens!

Family Guy Fans Can Now Play with Themselves, or Others, in the Massively Multiplayer Laugh Out Loud (MMLOL) Game

News provided by

Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products

Apr 17, 2012, 12:00 ET

LOS ANGELES, April 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Family Guy Online, the new free-to-play, browser-based, multiplayer online game from Twentieth Century Fox, is opening the beta to ALL fans of Fox's hit television show Family Guy. Starting today at www.familyguyonline.com, fans can create their own Family Guy character and become citizens of virtual Quahog.

In the open beta, all fans will enjoy the bawdy and outrageous Family Guy humor they know and love. Players will experience key moments from some of the most memorable episodes and interact with show characters and other fans in a familiar universe that is now 3D and full of laugh-out-loud Family Guy hilarity and hidden gameplay surprises.

Scripted by Family Guy writers and voiced by show talent, Family Guy Online takes players through hilarious game challenges and comical non-sequiturs based on popular episode storylines -- from putting an end to Peter Griffin's incessant singing of "Surfin' Bird"; to traveling the "Road to the Multi-verse." Fresh gameplay content based on new episodes and parody-worthy real-life events will be added to the game frequently in the future.

The game begins with players creating a custom, Family Guy-esque character from one of four classes based on Griffin family archetypes. Each class has their own special gameplay skills and weapons, such as the Peter-Class noxious burp, and the Stewie-Class ray-gun. Players can then team up or opt for a single player experience as they adventure through Quahog's most well-known landmarks, from Spooner Street to The Drunken Clam.

Fan-favorite show characters including Stewie, Peter, Quagmire and Mayor Adam West will send players on quests where they must fetch, fight and rescue. Players will pick up new skills along their journey and will also be encouraged to engage in fun social activities, such as disco dancing and barbecuing burgers that benefit all nearby players.

In order to ensure the best possible user experience for the large number of Family Guy and Family Guy Online fans worldwide, an innovative "Keys to Quahog" access program has been created to let players into the game in waves. Each "Key" will provide a registered player with the time and date they may enter the Family Guy Online open beta. Once players receive their "Keys," they can enter the open beta any time on or after the date and time listed on the "Key."

"Family Guy Online is hilarious and so much fun. This experience is a digital extension of the television show which captures the best elements of the television show and combines them with multiplayer gameplay," said Gary Rosenfeld, senior vice president, Interactive Games, Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products. "Rolling the game out through a 'Keys' program allows us to bring fans into the game in a controlled manner so their experience is positive."

Designed to let fans of the show engage with the Family Guy universe and connect with like-minded fans or to entertain anyone with a passion for outrageous comedy, epic storytelling and vibrant graphics, Family Guy Online has something for everyone, at all skill levels. It is a mid-core game that is more graphically rich and robust than a social game, but does not require a hardcore game's bandwidth, thus allowing fans to jump in with only an Internet connection. While Family Guy Online is free-to-play, players can buy in-game cash or earn clams to purchase items to customize their characters and advance the gameplay.

"We worked very closely with the show writers so that Family Guy Online encapsulates the well-known Family Guy brand of humor with the best elements of online multiplayer games, which is why we see it as a MMLOL," said Ian Verchere, chief creative officer for Roadhouse Interactive. "The feedback from our closed beta has been amazing, and we're extremely happy to now be able to open up Family Guy Online to everyone."

Current Family Guy Online registered players and players from the closed beta will be the first to receive their "Keys to Quahog." As new players register for the game, they will receive an email with the approximate wait time for their "Key." Access is on a first come basis, so those who register right away will be the first allowed in the game. The program will begin today at 3:00PM Pacific and continue for a short period after the open beta goes live with regularly scheduled releases of "Keys" to increase the number of fans in the game.

About Family Guy Online

Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products created Family Guy Online in partnership with Fuzzy Door, the creative team behind the Emmy® Award-winning animated television series, Family Guy, and game developer, Roadhouse Interactive. The show's writers are part of the game development team, ensuring all the characters, dialogue and storylines make for an authentic Family Guy experience. Clips from the show are also integrated into gameplay as rewards or to provide clues for missions. Also, because the game is built on the flexible Unity platform, the writers and developers can take advantage of current events, adding everything from the latest pop culture missteps to the most up-to-date news on the presidential election, quickly and seamlessly.

URL: http://www.familyguyonline.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/familyguyonline

About Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products

A recognized industry leader, Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products licenses and markets properties worldwide on behalf of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, Twentieth Television and Fox Broadcasting Company, as well as third party lines. The division is aligned with Twentieth Century Fox Television, one of the top suppliers of primetime entertainment programming to the broadcast networks.

About Roadhouse Interactive

Roadhouse Interactive (Roadhouse) is an online game production company that is defining the next generation of social games. The company was founded by industry veterans with a collective track record of over US $2 billion in sales and extensive experience in the new production, development and operational models of online games.

URL: http://www.roadhouseinteractive.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/roadhouseinteractive

Media Contact:
Susan C. Mills
Edelman for Fox
Phone: 323.202.1050
Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products