According to Kuma, the deal will allow viewers to watch an episode then experience it as a 3D game.
Aside from viewer benefits, both the History Channel and Kuma said that the agreement would help advertisers reach audiences through traditional TV spots as well as in-game or around-game advertising.
Kuma CEO Keith Halper said, “We are helping TV take its place in today’s exploding game marketplace. The ability to reach key consumers is greatly enhanced for advertisers by combining TV’s reach and brand impact with games’ immersive nature, relevance to key consumers and unique messaging capabilities.”
The TV series “examines, dissects, and re-creates some of the most famous gun battles in history, from the Wild West to Guadalcanal to Fallujah.” The corresponding game will be available on November 3 at History.com for free and is based on Iwo Jima, Battle of the Bulge and the Tet Offensive.
Interestingly, the History Channel had designed the series to cater to gamers. “Season two of ‘Shootout!’ was developed with gamers in mind,” said Dolores Gavin, director of historical programming for The History Channel. "We think that the unique perspective of the series combined with the immersive nature of the game will allow our viewers to experience history in a whole new way.”
In the past, Kuma had drawn criticism from overseas with its release of US Attacks Iran and similar games that deal with current events and touchy subjects.