By Marcy Magiera Yo-kai Watch is arguably the hottest kids' property in Japan. Now the franchise, about a young boy who uses a special watch to summon spirits who are causing pesky problems for people, is about to hit the U.S. In November, Nintendo will launch a Yo-kai Watch game for its handheld 3DS, about the same time that Viz Media's Perfect Square imprint will introduce … [Read more...] about Japanese Phenomenon Poised to Enter U.S. Market
Video Games and Software
DraftKings Plays Ball With MLB Clubs
DraftKings, the official daily fantasy sports partner of MLB, cut a separate deal with 27 of the League’s 30 clubs that will allow users to get exclusive content on the DraftKings iPhone app and integration with MLB’s own At Bat app. The Seattle Mariners, Arizona Diamondbacks and Toronto Blue Jays are the only clubs that aren’t participating because their states/province treat … [Read more...] about DraftKings Plays Ball With MLB Clubs
Digital Deals
By Glenn Demby You Gotta Have Hart: Hannah Hart is the latest YouTube star to cash in on her digital celebrity by inking a multi-year deal with women's multichannel network Kin Community for brand integrations, media opportunities and new programming production. Play Puck!: MLB Advanced Media will pay the NHL $600 million over 6 years for the right to broadcast and stream … [Read more...] about Digital Deals
Peanuts Video Game
Photo: 20th Century Fox & Peanuts Worldwide Peanuts Worldwide has licensed Activision Publishing for an original video game tied in to The Peanuts Movie slated for theaters this fall. The Peanuts Movie: Snoopy’s Great Adventure, a side-scrolling exploration platformer game starring Peanuts characters, will launch Nov. 6 for PlayStation4, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Nintendo … [Read more...] about Peanuts Video Game
Coming Video Games More Original; Sequels & New IP Ripe for Licensing
The video game industry, like the movie business, relies heavily on sequels and established franchises to fill its coffers. It takes only a glance at the roster of top-selling titles to tell why: In games, like movies, sequels sell. Vintage Games & Their Progeny Dominate 2014 The NPD Group's ranking of Top 10 video game titles for 2014 contains two Call of Duty titles … [Read more...] about Coming Video Games More Original; Sequels & New IP Ripe for Licensing
Jordan Still Rules
No knock against LeBron James, but when it comes to NBA star power, nobody tops Michael Jordan. As if to drive home that point, 2K announced that Jordan, who retired in 2003, will be on the cover of its Special Edition NBA 2K16 video game. Those who pre-order before Sept. 25 will also get a Jordan poster, t-shirt and/or Fathead. … [Read more...] about Jordan Still Rules
Disney Reorg Aims to Shore up Video Games
Video games may be the closest thing mighty Disney has to an Achilles’ heel. The merger between Disney Interactive and Disney Consumer Products aims to fix that. The move is hardly unexpected. For years, DCP, which is supposed to focus on “traditional” games, has developed digital products like app-based story books, mobile learning apps like Imagicademy, toys to life like … [Read more...] about Disney Reorg Aims to Shore up Video Games
Grumpy Cat Grows Her Brand
Digital celebrity Grumpy Cat continues to ride the cyber wave by making new license agreements with Dynamite Comics for a new comic book series to launch later in 2016, a kids’ activity app (Playrific) scheduled for the summer, and a gift line (Bay Northwest) for specialty shops in the Pacific Northwest. … [Read more...] about Grumpy Cat Grows Her Brand
Minions Go Mobile
The Minions are multiplying. A new partnership between video game maker Electronic Arts, Minions producer Illumination Entertainment and Universal Partnerships & Licensing will bring the quirky yellow creatures and other characters from upcoming illumination films to mobile games, beginning with Minions Paradise. The game will be free to download beginning this summer, … [Read more...] about Minions Go Mobile
Class Action Lawsuit Against Facebook
A federal judge in California said a lawsuit by hundreds of thousands of parents nationwide against Facebook could go forward as a class action. The suit contends that Facebook let kids use their parents’ credit and debit cards to buy the virtual currency Facebook credits and violated California law by citing its “all sales are final” policy in refusing refunds to parents who … [Read more...] about Class Action Lawsuit Against Facebook