ITV to Launch Corrie Nation Social Networking Game

ITV Studios to set to green light the first social networking game based on soap opera "Coronation Street."

The game, called Corrie Nation, was created by the Coronation Street production team and designed as a parallel world to the television program. The game will initially be available on ITV.com and Facebook on Nov. 1 with further platform launches to follow.

The objective of the game is to build, populate, manage and grow Coronation Street and a wider Weatherfield over time. Players use their understanding of what builds drama to help them score maximum points. Fans will compete against their peer group and a wider player-base sharing their progress with their social network of friends as they view each other's character album progress and engage in trading duplicate characters. With peer interaction, ongoing reference to past and current storylines and multiple ways to access new buildings and characters, the game has no defined "end point" and will provide Corrie fans with an ongoing fun and social way to interact with their favorite soap and each other.

"Coronation Street enjoys a unique place in the hearts of the British public and with an appeal which spans generations, the brand has the potential off screen to match its phenomenal on-screen success," says Patricia Wagstaff, director of digital productions at ITV Studios. "Corrie Nation is a great example of engaging with the Coronation Street audience in new ways and exploiting this world-class brand to deliver further revenues to the business. We're thrilled this fantastic game is the latest addition to the Corrie off-screen activities which include games, books, DVDs and ale."

Users can play Corrie Nation at no cost, but will have the option to pay to purchase virtual goods, customize their game space and pay to advance gameplay rather than wait to build up points to buy new characters or buildings. Further revenue will be generated from a variety of commercial sponsorship packages and advertising.