Atlantic Business Magazine: Gogii Games and Shannon Tweed

Now that KISS frontman, merchandising genius and reality show icon Gene Simmons has, after 28 years, made an honest woman of his long-suffering companion, actress and singer Shannon Tweed, one presumes the former’s days and nights of carousing with nubile acolytes of the fairer sex are over.

But a Moncton-based gaming studio is betting that the couple’s famously televised tribulations will continue to titillate fans in the virtual world. According to George Donovan, CEO of Gogii Games – which collaborates with game-makers across Canada and Europe – work is nearly complete on Shannon Tweed: Attack of the Groupies. And, apparently, its namesake couldn’t be more delighted.

“It’s been a lot of fun learning about this industry,” she said earlier this week in a statement. “It’s taking off so fast now. Gene and I are really excited to get the final product out so our fans can enjoy it.”

Added Donovan: “Meeting Shannon was one of those random moments in life. She is so vibrant and after listening to her speak, I knew her story tied into the type of game that we wanted to build.”

Tweed’s story is, in fact, the stuff of entertainment legend.

Born in St. John’s in 1957, she was raised on a mink ranch in the community of Whitbourne. She moved with her family to Saskatoon. Later, she posed for Playboy, became Playmate of the Month and then Playmate of the Year for 1982, before launching a successful career in film and television.

In 1983, she met Simmons and the two have been together ever since (they married earlier this month), though her companion’s predilection for pretty girls has provided the dramatic arc of their story and an essential fan-baiting mechanism in their hit reality show Gene Simmons: Family Jewels.

Attack of the Groupies features Tweed’s gaming alter ego fighting off a horde of rampaging lovelies who are “desperately trying to gain access to her life and love.” According to a Gogii news release, the game “is a tongue in cheek look at what really happens backstage. Featuring stereotypical groupies inspired by Tweed’s stories, the game allows players to unlock exclusive, rarely seen content of the life of the starlet.”

Rarely seen content? Is that even possible when it comes to one of the world’s most over-exposed couples? One thing’s for sure: All’s fair in love and war. Especially when there’s money to be made.