Jimmy Buffett is taking another stab at gaming his Margaritaville brand. In 2012 he released Margaritaville Online, and this summer he’ll release The Margaritaville Game.

Now the crooner-turned-entrepreneur’s company is looking to further extend his chilled-out, tropically resonant brand into new avenues of media and entertainment, starting with a casual mobile game slated to launch this summer.

Margaritaville Enterprises, aiming to delight Buffett buffs, is creating the app with game developer FunPlus. The Margaritaville game, to be released around Comic-Con International in July, will let fans find their lost shakers of salt and explore other Margaritaville-themed experiences in “a virtual paradise.”

Heading up Margaritaville Enterprises’ content initiatives is Laura Lee, president of media and chief digital officer, who joined the company last year after eight years at YouTube. “Margaritaville is so much more than just a product or a destination — it’s a lifestyle — and we want to bring that escapist attitude to the digital realm with Margaritaville’s first-ever casual mobile game,” Lee said.

Read more

(hat tip Ken)

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Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville Online game has garnered quite the following in the few months that it has been out, and even earned Best Social / Casual Game at the Canadian Videogame Awards recently.

The game’s developer has released some impressive stats from the game:

Players from 210 countries have played the game since its launch at the beginning of the year, and have logged a total of 2.997 million hours of playtime in total (that’s 341.9 years, if you do the math). While exploring the islands of MargaritaVille Online and clearing paths, players have destroyed 12.87 million bunches of bamboo, whacked 68.3 million crates, barrels and rocks, and netted 14.28 million items from the backs of their boats. Treasure hunters have dug up 4.68 million items, and fashionistas have customized their avatar’s clothing 618,000 times as well.

In terms of the game’s mini-games, like its take on Bejeweled or Simon, those have received just as much love from players, as the five currently available puzzles have been played 2.6 million times in total. It’s no surprise that the Bejeweled-inspired game “Hammock Time” has received the most plays, as it’s available early on in the game, and hey, who doesn’t love a good match-three puzzle? Here’s the breakdown by activity:

Hammock Time – 591,890 plays
Limbo – 312,414 plays
Pirates – 1,349,381 plays
Steel Drums – 139,136 plays
Tile Puzzles – 207,041 plays

Play the game on Facebook, iPad, or iPhone.

(H/T Ken)

THQ Inc. today announced the release of the new free mobile app Margaritaville Mobile for iPhone. Players of virtual paradise Margaritaville Online, available now on Facebook and iPad, can further expand the Parrothead lifestyle by using the companion app to claim exclusive rewards. Through multiple tropical themed mini-games and socially driven activities, the Margaritaville Mobile iPhone app allows players to earn multiple tiers of badges while obtaining unique rewards for Margaritaville Online on Facebook and iPad.

“From the beginning, THQ’s goal has been to make the laid-back Margaritaville mindset accessible to anyone, anywhere, anytime,” said Michael Lustenberger Vice President, Global Brand Management — Online at THQ. “What began on Facebook and iPad with Margaritaville Online continues on through our next virtual vacation destination in Margaritaville Mobile. Now, fans can continue their Parrothead lifestyle on the go by simply checking in and enjoying new content via their iPhones.”

Margaritaville Mobile features include:

• Tiered Badges: Through respective tiers (Bronze, Silver, Gold, Diamond and Parrothead), earn up to 28 new badges, each with corresponding rewards such as coins and premium food items
• Badge Tier Rewards: Collect all badges in a tier and receive special tier rewards, including: the Margaritaville Crown (character hat), Master Lure (for fishing), MV Mobile Concoction Creator, Seaplane (decoration) and one of every food item in the game
• Photos: Take digital photos of yourself and friends, adding available Margaritaville-themed borders, characters and accessories, and post to Facebook to earn more badges
• Mini-Games: Participate in four of Margaritaville Online’s mini-games including Steel Drum Star, Hammock Time, Limbo and Tile Puzzles to hit milestones and earn badges, including the coveted “Guru Game Star” badge!
• Friend Updates: View the latest happenings from friends while on the go
• Check-In: Earn further badges in the real world by visiting your local location and sharing a “Margaritaville Moment”

Get Margaritaville Mobile free on your iPhone now in the App Store.

Frank Marshall, veteran Hollywood producer and long-time friend of Jimmy Buffett, helped to produce the new Margaritaville Online game that was released last month.

The Hollywood Reporter has an interview with Marshall on the game. There’s some interesting tidbits in the discussion. For example, Marshall says the game was originally planned to be released on the Nintendo Wii platform.

The Hollywood Reporter: How did you partner with Jimmy Buffett on Margaritaville Online?

Frank Marshall: Jimmy and I met over 30 years ago and we’ve been good friends ever since. We have a similar background and share a lot of the same interests. We’ve talked about movies, books, songs and just about anything you can think of.

I have always loved the world he’s created and the fact that he really lives in it. Jimmy and I have been trying to do something together for years and when the idea of a Facebook game came along, it seemed like a natural. What people love about Jimmy Buffett is his lifestyle and the world he’s created. Whenever the real world gets to be too much, you can escape to his world through this game, no matter where you are.

THR: Where did the idea for a Facebook game come from?

Marshall: I was actually meeting with Danny Bilson, EVP Core Games from THQ, about The Last Airbender game. We started talking about other things we could do. I wanted to do something fun, so I thought, instead of creating one of these violent worlds, why not go to paradise? Why not somewhere you could go to play games and have a party? Initially when we started talking about it, it was actually going to be made into a Wii game. But as social games increased in popularity, things shifted and we saw great potential of creating a social experience based on Jimmy’s lifestyle.

Read the full interview here.

Marshall also was a co-producer on Hoot, the 2006 film that Jimmy co-produced and played a teacher in.

Jimmy Buffett launched his new Margaritaville Online game on Wednesday, and he’s posted a video where he plays the game with the help of a young friend:

Are you playing yet? Hope over to Facebook to get started, or download on your iPad.