Games leave TV: Cartoon Network, Zynga and Until Dawn 2

Until Dawn 2 drops on a tropical island

The horror‑thriller Until Dawn 2 lands on January 28, swapping the original’s alpine lodge for a sun‑baked island. The setting alone changes the tone: the jungle replaces the snow, and the same branching‑story mechanics now have to contend with humidity and wildlife.

The game also brings Dacre Montgomery—best known for his turn as Billy Hargrove in Stranger Things—into the mix. His involvement signals a push beyond the usual video‑game celebrity casting. Players will recognize his face, but the real test is whether the new locale can keep the series’ tense decision‑making fresh.

Cartoon Network bets on open‑source mobile game

Cartoon Network released OK K.O.! Lakewood Plaza Turbo as its first mobile title that does not double as a TV show promo. The game was built by Ian Jones‑Quartey, the creator of the original OK K.O.! series, and it arrives with an unusual invitation: 200 independent programmers will be invited to a February game jam in Portland, Oregon to hack and extend the title.

Rob Sorcher, the network’s chief creative officer, said the company is “no longer just about creating TV series, we’re really about creating animated worlds.” He added that the goal is to “unfold those worlds onto any platform.” Christina Miller, president and general manager of Cartoon Network and Adult Swim, framed the open‑source push as a way to “drive creative expression and innovation” beyond the linear cartoon format.

The move is a direct answer to kids who spend more time on Snapchat and iOS games than in front of a television. By letting developers tinker with the code, Cartoon Network hopes to stay relevant among coders, culture‑savvy teens, and the broader creator economy. The network’s partnership with Adult Swim already gives it a foothold in adult‑oriented animation, but the game‑first strategy is a clear attempt to broaden the audience.

Zynga pushes Project Z to wrest control from Facebook

Zynga unveiled several new titles—including CastleVille, Bingo, Hidden Objects, and a sequel to its early hit Mafia Wars—at a media event in San Francisco. The showcase also introduced “Project Z,” a platform the company describes as a web‑based environment built for games. Executives said the platform will be a partnership with Facebook, but they offered few financial details because Zynga is in a quiet period before a planned $20 billion public offering.

The timing is critical. Zynga reports 59 million daily active players in the second quarter, a figure unchanged since the fourth quarter of 2009. Most of that traffic still runs through Facebook, which extracts roughly 30 percent of Zynga’s revenue. Project Z is positioned as a way to shift the balance of power back toward Zynga, allowing the firm to host games on its own terms and potentially tax third‑party content.

Analyst Lou Kerner of Wedbush Securities noted that “the world belongs to platforms,” comparing Zynga’s ambition to Facebook’s massive developer ecosystem. If Zynga can build a vibrant gaming ecosystem, the company could function like a movie studio that distributes and monetizes third‑party work. For now, Zynga remains dependent on its own hits. Cityville still pulls 13.5 million daily users, while FrontierVille—launched in June 2010—has slipped to about 5 percent of its peak nine‑million daily audience.

What this means for the future of entertainment platforms

All three moves share a common thread: traditional content creators are turning to interactive experiences to keep audiences engaged. Until Dawn 2 shows that narrative‑driven games can extend a franchise’s lifespan without a new TV season. Cartoon Network’s open‑source mobile game demonstrates a willingness to let the community shape the product, blurring the line between creator and consumer. Zynga’s Project Z attempts to wrest control from a dominant distribution partner and build a self‑sustaining ecosystem.

The risk is clear. If the new titles fail to attract fresh players, the companies could be left with costly development pipelines and no clear monetization path. If the platforms succeed, they could reshape how studios think about IP ownership, distribution, and revenue sharing.

What to watch: Track the daily active user numbers for Until Dawn 2 during its first month, monitor the output of the Portland game jam and any community‑generated extensions for OK K.O.! Lakewood Plaza Turbo, and watch Zynga’s quarterly filings for the first revenue figures that come from Project Z. Those data points will reveal whether the gamble of turning TV‑centric brands into game‑centric platforms pays off.