Licensing Deal Will See EA SPORTS PGA TOUR As The Exclusive Home of All Four Majors — the Masters Tournament, PGA Championship, U.S. Open Championship and The Open Championship EA Sports has unveiled EA SPORTS PGA TOUR: Road to the Masters as the exclusive video game home of the historic Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club, one of the most prestigious golf events in the world, with some of the most recognizable traditions in sports. The Masters made its first-ever virtual appearance with EA SPORTS in 2011, and its return to video games has been highly requested by golf fans. Fred Ridley, Chairman of Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters Tournament, unveiled the new cover of EA SPORTS PGA TOUR today during his annual press conference before the… . . . read more
Sanrio Partners With Nintendo on Animal Crossing
Items, clothing and new characters inspired by Sanrio brands are coming to the Nintendo hit video game Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp. Sanrio owns several popular character brands, the most famous being Hello Kitty (pictured), which have been licensed in everything from apparel, to gifts, to home products. Now Sanrio’s suite of adorable characters will be setting up camp in the Animal Crossing world as well. Last week saw the game Animal Crossing: New Horizons welcome new residents and items inspired by a number of popular Sanrio characters, with the launch of the Animal Crossing Sanrio Collaboration Pack. The pack includes all six amiibo cards from the unique Sanrio Collaboration Series. The cards are compatible with Animal Crossing: New Horizons and each comes with a different… . . . read more
Video Game In Development For John Carter: Warlord of Mars
The classic sci-fi adventure series John Carter: Warlord of Mars is coming to a video game console near you, as Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc,. announced its team is working with FNCPR to develop and publish a first person action game, starring the “world’s oldest interplanetary warrior.” Over 27 years FNCPR has worked on some of the biggest games in the industry, including long-lasting classics like World of Tanks, World of Warships, Medieval Dynasty, Skyforge, Armored Warfare, Warface, Conqueror Blade, Blizzard (Diablo II, Warcraft III, and Starcraft Ghosts), Sierra (Homeworld and Homeworld II, Halflife and Halflife II), Fox (No One Lives Forever II, Simpsons, and Buffy), Black Label (Lord of the Rings and The Thing), and NDA (Die Hard Vendetta and Judge Dredd v. Death). John Carter is the planet-hopping hero who… . . . read more
‘Ted Lasso’ To Join FIFA Face-Off Celebrity Gaming Show
Global gaming giant Electronic Arts has jumped the divide between esports and TV sports by developing a new show that will see celebrities going head-to-head in an EA SPORTS FIFA football match, airing live on Twitch and YouTube. The new show will feature A-List celebrities including Jason Sudeikas, who plays the title character of football coach Ted Lasso; his Ted Lasso co-star Brendan Hunt who plays Coach Beard; comedian and host Trevor Noah from the Emmy Award-winning The Daily Show; American Music Award winner Becky G, and Latin Grammy winner Nicky Jam. The online show will be hosted by the popular EA SPORTS FIFA influencer Castro 1021, and will running two episodes airing March 19 and Friday, March 26. “This unique event continues EA’s competitive gaming entertainment innovation, which connects… . . . read more
NBA Partners On Mobile Game ‘Ball Stars’
After announcing its formal partnership with the National Basketball Association and National Basketball Players’ Association (NBPA) in October, the global mobile game publisher Netmarble Corp has now released NBA Ball Stars, an all-new, puzzle-based mobile basketball game. The game is the first publishing project for Netmarble’s Los Angeles-based subsidiaries Netmarble US and Kung Fu Factory, and is now open for pre-registration for the App Store and Google Play. The company has also announced that, to celebrate the formal reveal, Netmarble has inked a partnership with Ja Morant, the 2019-20 Kia NBA Rookie of the Year, as the game’s cover athlete. “The NBA and NBPA have been tremendous partners,” said Simon Sim, President of Netmarble US. “The creative freedom and collaboration we’ve had with them, along with Kung Fu Factory, in the production of… . . . read more
Sonic The Hedgehog Celebrates 30 Years
Time flies when you’re having fun, and especially if you’re super speedster Sonic the Hedgehog, but it’s still been 30 years since the iconic game character saw its first game released in 1991. That makes this a year of celebration and licensing opportunities for Sonic, as Sega is planning with a film sequel, a new series, and a variety of product deals. Depending on the timing of cinema openings, Sega is planning the release of a sequel for the popular Sonic: The Movie, and while that’s happening the company is also scheduling the release of a new animated series called Sonic Prime, which will zoom onto Netflix in 2022. Aimed at an audiences aged 6-11 years old, but open to all fans of the famous character, the series consists of… . . . read more
Hasbro’s Finn Arnesen Joins Games Workshop
The Games Workshop Group is diving even deeper into the entertainment business, announcing the appointment of former Hasbro Studios SVP Finn Arnesen as the company’s first Head of Entertainment Development. Games Workshop is best known for its Warhammer gaming franchise, and the company also has its own library of novels and short stories based on the game. Arnesen’s first task in his new role will be to mine that content to develop both animated and live action talent for film and TV series. Arnesen will report to Game Workshop’s Executive Vice President of Global Licensing, Jon Gillard. Arnesen is a respected veteran of the content world, having worked with Turner Broadcasting and Hasbro Studios. “In its almost 40-year history, Warhammer has been a leader in the field of tabletop and video… . . . read more
EA Funds New Games From Silver Rain
A new gaming studio headed by BAFTA-nominated actor/producer Abubakar Salim has signed a dream deal with sector giant Electronic Arts Inc. Silver Rain Games is a new gaming company with no titles published to date, but Salim has signed a major deal with a division of EA dedicated to supporting indy studios, called EA Originals Label. Under the agreement, EA Originals will provide funding for the up-and-coming studio’s unannounced IP, as well as guidance and support in the team’s journey to bring a fresh perspective to games and to the industry. “They are a bold new independent studio who will create distinct, innovative new experiences. We look forward to supporting them on this epic adventure they are on and when the time is right, connecting them with a global audience… . . . read more
Minecraft Gets Physical With Scavenger Hunt
The massively popular online world of Minecraft has now crossed into the real, physical world in an innovative cross-promotion with the Australian department store chain Big W. Minecraft, which allows players to build out their own virtual worlds and environments, is considered by many to be the world’s best-selling video game of all time. Now, fans in Australia are seeing the game like never before, through a Minecraft Scavenger Hunt that mixes the digital world with the physical environment of the Big W retail outlets. The BIG W exclusive in-store Minecraft Scavenger Hunt game incorporated many of Minecraft’s favourite characters and was developed with challenges for players to explore, problem-solve and use their skill to complete the hunt, bringing all the excitement of the game to life for the first… . . . read more
Among Us Announces Key Deals With Tycoon & SkyBrands
The quirky and wildly popular video game Among Us is expanding its global reach with new licensing deals, including key agreements in Latin America and Europe. Gaming company Innersloth has appointed Tycoon Enterprises as its exclusive licensing agent in Latin America, while in Europe, the company has tagged SkyBrands to develop a portfolio of apparel and home textile products using Among Us imagery. Among Us is a multiplayer product heavy on social gameplay in which one of the players plays the role of a killer on a space station, while the other players try to identify the murderer in their midst. The game famously saw Representative Alexandria Ocasio Cortes playing for an online audience against the leader of Canada’s opposition New Democratic Party Jagmeet Singh, in which Singh killed off… . . . read more