Electronic Arts, the largest developer of video games, and Hasbro, the company behind stalwart boardgames including Monopoly and Scrabble, have signed a deal to develop titles aimed at the casual market.

Under a deal that will run until 2013, EA has exclusive rights to create computer games based on Hasbro assets across platforms including mobile phones, the internet, personal computers and games consoles. The first title is due to appear next year.

The arrangement is part of a push by EA to appeal to consumers previously overlooked by game developers: especially women and older people.

Latching on to these demographics is seen as the key behind the success of Nintendo’s Wii console, which is out-selling its rivals, Sony’s PlayStation 3 and Microsoft’s Xbox 360, by at least two to one.

John Riccitiello, the head of Electronic Arts, the largest games publisher, recently conceded that a barrage of sequels, shoot-em-ups and driving games was "boring people to death".

He went on to suggest that the economics of producing complex titles for technologically-heavy consoles such as the PS3 are not stacking up. A PS3 game costs up to four times as much as a Wii equivalent to make.

Meanwhile, EA profits slumped 70 per cent last year, their third successive decline.

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