By Ben King, 10 December 2001 16:30
NEWS Orange is set to launch a range of mobile phone gizmos and games to tie in with the release of the multi-million dollar movie adaptation of The Lord of the Rings (LOTR). Fans of J.R.R. Tolkein's epic fantasy novel have been promised three new games, text services, SMS-based quizzes and a WAP site where they can translate things into Elven script or runes. The deal gives Orange exclusive rights to the Middle Earth movie licences across Belgium, Denmark, France, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the UK. Orange also has the rights to the two sequels to the film, scheduled for release in 2002 and 2003. The company hopes to offer 3G-enabled "visually rich mobile entertainment services" based on the LOTR franchise when the two films come out. However, it is widely expected that 3G networks will be at a very early stage of development in 2002 or 2003, and there will be few if any video-enabled handsets available in 2002 when the second film, The Two Towers is launched. Nonetheless, burger chain-style movie tie-ins will doubtless become a regular part of the mobile industry over the next few years, as the operators bid to develop compelling mobile services that consumers are prepared to pay for.
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