Starz to brandish 'Camelot' Facebook game beta very soon

To arms, my brothers and sisters, as Starz is set to release a Facebook game promoting its hit new show, Camelot, in just a few weeks. According to the Hollywood Reporter, a beta version of the game will launch today, with a commercial release short after. The game seems to mark a new strategy for the cable TV network, as it released Spartacus: Gods of the Arena, alongside the debut of the miniseries of the same name. The first game enjoyed over 1 million monthly players at its peak, according to AppData, so Starz Digital Media is likely hopeful for the same success here with a new property.

As soon as the beta releases, players can log into the game and enter the password, "Merlin," for access. The game plays similarly to popular Facebook strategy games, driving players to gather resources, equip their armies, and rush into battle. Not to mention that this time around, the game will borrow liberally from plot points in the TV show. Fans of Spartacus (including myself) didn't appreciate the lack of control over battles, which would explain the drastic shift to an real time strategy game. Camelot: The Game is published by 6waves and developed by Sarbakan and Large Animal Games yet again in association with international distributor GK-tv, Hollywood Reporter wrote.

"We felt Camelot suits a couple of game genres out there, and none of the properties out there in this space were branded," Marc DeBevoise, senior VP digital media, business development and strategy said to Hollywood Reporter. "The action, adventure and challenge of this game is unmatched in the marketplace today and is a beautiful complement and extension of the Starz original series." From how it sounds, we're not so sure this game will cater to a large social gaming audience, but we'll see as soon as we get to wave some swords around soon enough.

[Image Credit: Hollywood Reporter]

Are you excited to play out your favorite moments from the series on Facebook? What do you think of social game tie-ins to existing franchises?