Six-Time Platinum Video Game Grows Its International Presence With New Products Including Apparel, Accessories, Novelties, Publishing and More King Features Syndicate this week announced a robust international expansion, including new agents and licensing deals for the global gaming sensation Cuphead. Ahead of the 2021 debut of The Cuphead Show! with Netflix Animation, the brand is expanding its domestic and international presence with new products across product categories including apparel, accessories, novelties, publishing and more. Canadian development studio MDHR’s award-winning video game has been unstoppable since its 2017 release, racking up six platinum sales records, and is continuing the momentum with new licensing partners across a wide range of product categories. Fans of Cuphead and Mugman in Asia will see their favorite characters come to life with new accessories, apparel, houseware, novelties,… . . . read more
Aconyte Publishing Novels Inspired by Marvel, Assassin’s Creed
The newly launched Aconyte Books says it’s publishing a new series of novels inspired by Marvel’s hit tabletop miniatures game Crisis Protocol, and a series based on the Assassin’s Creed video game series. Aconyte is the novels division of Asmodee Entertainment, created last year to deliver on the Asmodee slogan: “Great games, amazing stories!”, and to create new content to be leveraged on further entertainment platforms. Unlike many publishing houses, Aconyte focuses very tightly on becoming a “go-to partner” for tie-in fiction, inspired by the world’s most popular brands. To helm the imprint, Asmodee Entertainment has hired Marc Gascoigne, formerly the publisher & Managing Director of award-winning global sci-fi imprint Angry Robot. The team works in the UK, and began publishing last summer for the US, UK and export markets. As well… . . . read more
Wizards Of The Coast Leads Hasbro Revenue Segments
By Gary Symons TLL Editor in Chief A lot of people still think of Hasbro primarily as a toy company, but the firm’s financial results tell a different story. As of Hasbro’s Q1 financial results, Hasbro is now a broader entertainment and play company, with a strong accent on gaming through its Wizards of the Coast and Digital Gaming segment, which generated 75 per cent of the company’s operating profit in Q1. WOTC is primarily made up of the wildly popular gaming franchises Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons and Dragons. This is also the first time Hasbro has reported its income after restructuring its operating divisions, making direct comparisons with previous financial reports more difficult. However, that restructuring of its business units happened precisely because the nature of Hasbro’s business… . . . read more
Roblox Star Signed By Semaphore
As video gaming overtakes film and television in popularity, agencies and licensors are increasingly hiring on gaming celebrities to promote their brands. That’s the case with Megan ‘Megan Plays’ Letter, who has just joined the growing talent portfolio within Semaphore, a US brand and licensing management company. Recognized as a superstar by Roblox playing kids, Megan Plays, has 3.5 million subscribers on her YouTube Channel, 3.1 million fans on TikTok and over 1.4 million followers on Roblox. Megan Plays was also recently featured in Forbes, sharing how she has been able to turn her new media hobby into a seven figure salary in a 5-6 year time frame. Megan Plays is the first Roblox star in Semaphore’s portfolio of talent, and the company says she “is among the powerful female group… . . . read more
Fall Guys Taps Moose Toys As Game’s Master Toy Partner
The breakout video game hit of 2020, Fall Guys, has selected Moose Toys as its global Master Toy Licensee, as the partners plan a global rollout of figures, collectibles, plush toys, and more. If you haven’t heard of Fall Guys yet, don’t worry, you will. The game Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout was a massive breakout hit on its release just months ago, in August 2020. The game has since attracted 11 million players on the Steam platform for PC games, and according to PlayStation Europe, it became “the most downloaded PlayStation Plus game of all time on a global basis.” That’s just the beginning for Fall Guys, as it has yet to release Ultimate Knockout on Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S. Moose Toys is… . . . read more
Wildbrain CPLG Powers Up For Brawl Stars Partnership
New deal for hit mobile gaming brand extends agency’s partnership with rights holder LINE FRIENDS. WildBrain CPLG, one of the world’s leading entertainment, sport and brand licensing agencies, has secured a multi-territory representation deal for the popular online mobile game Brawl Stars with the brand’s global rights holder LINE FRIENDS. The deal marks an extension of WildBrain CPLG’s existing partnership with LINE FRIENDS for character brands BROWN & FRIENDS and BT21. On behalf of LINE FRIENDS, WildBrain CPLG will represent Brawl Stars across the UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Iberia, Benelux, Nordics, CEE, Greece, Turkey, Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. The licensing program will be aimed at fans of all ages, and key target categories include apparel, accessories, toy, homewares and stationery. “We’ve established a very successful partnership with LINE FRIENDS… . . . read more
Hasbro Bringing Roblox Into The Real World With New Toys and Games
Partnership will bring official NERF Roblox Blasters and MONOPOLY: Roblox 2022 Edition Board game to fans worldwide. The global play and entertainment company Hasbro, Inc. has launched a partnership with Roblox Corporation to introduce a range of Roblox-inspired NERF blasters representing some of the most popular experiences on the Roblox platform. In addition, Hasbro has developed a Roblox version of its iconic MONOPOLY board game, which is available now for pre-order on Hasbro Pulse for fans aged 16 and older in the U.S. and Canada, and at Big Bad Toy Shop. Roblox is a video game company that built a fascinating “human co-experience platform” that enables shared experiences among billions of users. Every day, more than 32.6 million people around the world have fun with friends as they explore millions 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
Roblox Going Live on Deal With Genius Brands’ Kartoon Channel
The wildly popular Roblox game is going on air via the Kartoon Channel’s OTT platform, as part of an agreement between Genius Brands and gaming video company Tankee. The new show, with the working title ‘Radical Roblox’, will focus on a group of popular Roblox influencers playing the game on air. The show will debut exclusively on Genius Brands’ Kartoon Channel in June with 12 episodes planned for season one. Roblox has been operating for more than a decade, but has exploded in popularity in the late 2010s. By early 2020 the game was worth an astounding $4 billion, thanks to a loyal following of 150 million monthly users, which rose by 35 million from 2019. During the COVID-19 pandemic the game’s popularity soared by 40 per cent, and over the… . . . read more
Jazwares Extends Fortnite Licensing Deal
Jazwares, a global leader in toys and licensing, today announced its partnership with Epic Games for Fortnite toys and collectibles has been extended through 2025, in a deal brokered by IMG. Starting in January 2022, Jazwares will be the exclusive toy partner for Fortnite action figures four-inches-high and under and their compatible vehicles, play sets, accessories and more. Jazwares will also continue to produce new remote control or R/C vehicles, all of which will be compatible with Jazwares’ full four inch action figure line, and plush toys in varying sizes. Also in 2022, fans can expect to find an all-new lineup of highly detailed two inch action figures with multiple points of articulation and accompanying playsets, vehicles and accessories to build out their world of Fortnite in miniature scale. The… . . . read more