JumpStart, the gaming company formerly known as Knowledge Adventure, partnered with DreamWorks Animation to produce a series of online and mobile games for children based on the studio's film franchises.
For JumpStart, a 22-year-old educational software company, this marks a new push into the ballooning mobile market with the launch of two games based on DreamWorks' animated zoo-animal franchise, "Madagascar."
"Madagascar Online," an quest-based adventure game now available on JumpStart's website, is the first of a few games in the pipeline. The second, "Madagascar Preschool Surf 'n Slide," is available on Apple's iOS and Android platforms.
The studio is also developing another game franchise based on the 2010 DreamWorks Animation film, "How to Train Your Dragon."
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"JumpStart is at the forefront of developing innovative educational games and progressive technology for kids and we are pleased to join forces with them to launch new learning adventures that incorporate characters from DreamWorks Animation franchises," Jim Mainard, DreamWorks' head of digital strategy, said in a statement.
With the announcement of its new partnership with DreamWorks, JumpStart also courted a new round of financing from venture capital firms Azure Capital partners and TeleSoft Partners along with a group of other individual investors.
"We believe the combination of DreamWorks Animation's premium brands and our learning capabilities will be a win for children and parents across the globe," David Lord, the president and CEO, said in a statement. "We look forward to working together to introduce new interactive worlds inspired by their animated film franchises into the JumpStart gaming universe and leveraging our technology to change the landscape of children's learning and gaming."