Mark Androvich 17:24 (BST)
18/03/2008

Nickelodeon has announced that it will be adding 1,600 games to its existing library of 5,000 games across its online sites.

"Our portfolio of digital brands is delivering fun and innovative gaming experiences for all of our audiences," said Cyma Zarghami, president, Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids and Family Group.

"Because our gaming sites complement and serve the same breadth of audiences as each of our linear channels, we are now offering game experiences that range from educational content, virtual worlds to casual games that are both property driven and totally original."

The expansion plans will roll out across sites such as Nickjr.com, Nicktropolis.com, NickArcade.com, Neopets.com and Shockwave.com.

"We want to be the bookmark sites for each of our target demographics and we know that for our audiences, casual games are what they crave online," said Steve Youngwood, executive VP of digital media, Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids and Family Group.

"Not only do we want to entertain our audiences with a robust gaming portfolio and demo-focused gaming sites, but also tap into their creativity through game development tools to enhance the gaming community and help them entertain each other."

As virtual worlds become one of the fastest growing segments in terms of online casual gaming, the company said that it will continue to focus in this area with three new virtual worlds currently in development, and by growing its existing virtual worlds Neopets and Nicktropolis.

In addition, Nickelodeon Kids and Family Group's digital sites will continue to build community features around its gaming content to deepen the user experience such as game rankings, comments, profiles and user rewards.

Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids and Family Group's sites reach 20 million game player monthly.