Endless LLP to support management buy-out of Amscan International

The UK private equity investor, Endless LLP has reached an agreement with Party City Holdco to acquire a substantial portion of its international operations, Amscan International.

The management buy-out has been led by Amscan International’s existing management team made up of CEO Gary Panons and CFO and COO Joe Hennigan. The transaction is expected to close by the end of the year.

The acquisition includes Party City’s international wholesale, retail and e-commerce businesses in the UK, Europe, Australia and parts of Asia. In addition, the Everts latex balloon manufacturing plant is included in the transaction.

A joint venture will be created between Amscan International and Party City for the product development, manufacturing and sourcing of costumes in Asia and Africa.

Amscan International plans to extend its market leading position, utilising its diversified business model across manufacturing, wholesale and retail across the commercial markets of the UK, Europe, Australia and Asia.

The company will continue to partner closely with both Party City and Amscan US, while the transaction will allow Party City to focus its time and resources on its North American retail and wholesale operations.

Exclusive distribution rights for Amscan International of Amscan and Anagram branded products into markets outside of the Americas will continue as they do today.

Matthew Jubb, partner at Endless LLP in Leeds, said: “We are delighted to have reached an agreement to acquire Amscan International, which we believe is a hugely exciting opportunity for us.

“We look forward to backing the management team with their exciting vision for the future development of the business and sharing more details following completion.”

Snowman Enterprises celebrates ‘togetherness’ in winter roster with Royal Mint, British Red Cross, and Luna Cinema

The Penguin Random House company, Snowman Enterprises is weaving a central theme of ‘togetherness’ through all of its brand activations for The Snowman this winter, with a focus on bringing families together in celebration, even when they are separated by Covid-19 restrictions.

High profile brand partnerships have been revisited including a licensing collaboration with The Royal Mint who recently launched a commemorative 50p coin design. The new design was created by Robin Shaw, lead animator on sequel The Snowman and The Snowdog, and features The Snowman hugging James,marked as a reflection on how the timeless tale brings people together at Christmas.

This is the third commemorative Snowman coin released by The Royal Mint in collaboration with Snowman Enterprises and officially licensed by Penguin Ventures (part of Penguin Random House UK), with previous coins released in 2018 and 2019.

The coin comes a range of finishes – including brilliant uncirculated, silver proof and gold proof versions.

In addition, a long term brand partnership with The British Red Cross has continued this year during the 150th anniversary of the charity, with a message of kindness for the UK.

The Snowman and The Snowdog are heading up a schools Kindness Calendar campaign, with the activity available as a free download to all primary schools. The calendar will help children learn about kindness, the importance of having connections and friendships with others and how to cope with change.

The Snowman and The Snowdog will inspired the winter social media campaign for The British Red Cross once again this year and a co-branded version of the audio book is available exclusively at TKMaxx, with profits donated to the charity.

Izzy Richardson, global brand director, Penguin Random House Children’s UK, said: “We could all do with some extra magic this festive season and it’s our hope that the timeless magic of The Snowman, will provide a familiar warmth and reassurance to families everywhere this winter.

“We have had to rethink many of our planned activations and are proud to be entering the Christmas season with a robust programme of Snowman activity that celebrates theme of togetherness, even when we are apart. We are delighted to continue long term brand partnerships with the British Red Cross and The Royal Mint, whilst welcoming new experiences that bring the ‘World of The Snowman’ to life through new partnerships with Luna Cinemas and Forest Holidays, who’s Snowman experiences will offer families and loved-ones surprising ways to come together in celebration this Christmas.

“In among all of this exciting activity, is our recently launched ‘Winter Windows’ initiative, that places The Snowman at the very heart of British Christmas this year and raising vital funds for children’s hospice charities with every window created.”

The Snowman Winter Windows campaign which is supported by Peter Andre and his family, aims to spread some magic around the UK this Christmas whilst raising vital funds for children’s hospice charities, Chestnut Tree House and Together for Short Lives.

Every Wednesday for six weeks a new line art illustration from The Snowman is made available at https://www.thesnowman.com/winter-windows and shared on The Snowman social media channels. These can be printed and coloured and then added to a window to build a scene from the classic story.

Snowman Enterprises Ltd has pledged £1 for every Winter Window scene shared on social media and a bumper Snowman prize bundle will be awarded to one lucky winner.

New partnerships have been confirmed for The Snowman this winter including family trails at Forest Holidays. The Snowman and The Snowdog interactive family trails have launched in nine locations around the UK, ensuring that families who book a Forest Holiday break will have an extra magical experience.

Every guest will receive a special, bespoke edition of the classic Raymond Briggs’ The Snowman, whilst all Forest Holidays gift shops will stock a range of Snowman licensed merchandise.

Finally, whilst many screenings and live performances have sadly been cancelled this year, a collaboration with Luna Cinemas will ensure that families can come together with The Snowman this winter.  The Snowman and The Snowman and The Snowdog animations have been included in the Luna Drive In Winter Cinema, offering families the opportunity to continue their festive tradition of watching these classic films in an exciting new way.

Sony to purchase anime entertainment powerhouse Crunchyroll for $1.175bn

Sony Pictures Entertainment has reached an agreement with AT&T to purchase its Crunchyroll anime business – a direct-to-consumer service within the WarnerMedia segment – for a proposed $1.175bn.

Under the deal, Crunchyroll anime will fall under Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc and Sony Music Entertainment Inc’s Funimation Global Group, a giant on the anime scene.

Crunchyroll is recognised as a premier anime direct-to-consumer service within AT&T’s WarnerMedia segment with more than 3 million SVOD subscribers and growing. It currently serves 90 million registered users across more than 200 countries and territories offering AVOD, mobile games, manga, events merchandise and distribution.

The combination of Crunchyroll and Funimation will provides the opportunity for Sony to broaden distribution for its content partners and expand its offerings for consumers, while cementing itself as one of the largest global players in the anime scene.

“The Crunchyroll team has done an extraordinary job of not only growing the Crunchyroll brand but also building a passionate community of anime fans. Crunchyroll’s success is a direct result of the company’s culture and commitment to their fans,” said Tony Goncalves, chief revenue officer, WarnerMedia.

“By combining with Funimation, they will continue to nurture a global community and bring more anime to more people. I’m incredibly proud of the Crunchyroll team and what they have been able to accomplish in the digital media space in such a short period of time. They’ve created an end-to-end global ecosystem for this incredible art form.”

Tony Vinciquerra, chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment, added: “We are proud to bring Crunchyroll into the Sony family. Through Funimation and our terrific partners at Aniplex and Sony Music Entertainment Japan, we have a deep understanding of this global artform and are well-positioned to deliver outstanding content to audiences around the world.

“Together with Crunchyroll, we will create the best possible experience for fans and greater opportunity for creators, producers and publishers in Japan and elsewhere.

“Funimation has been doing this for over 25 years and we look forward to continuing to leverage the power of creativity and technology to succeed in this rapidly growing segment of entertainment.”

The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals.

Games Workshop partners with The Koyo Store for Warhammer 40,000 collectables

The entertainment merchandise specialist, The Koyo Store, has secured the global rights to create a range of officially licensed Warhammer 40,000 collectables through a new partnership with Games Workshop.

The deal marks a major success for The Koyo Store as the range will not only be sold through Games Workshop’s own High Street stores, but also available for fans to buy direct at www.thekoyostore.com/collections/warhammer-40000.

The initial Warhammer 40,000 product line-up, available in-store and online and encompassing a range of pin badge collections based on popular characters and artifacts in the game world, will include Mystery Faction Pins, Paint Your Own Space Marine pins, and a Space Marine Chapter Icon 12 pin collection.

The New Year will see the addition of a selection of Artifact 3D pins, A Diorama pin set, and a Legendary Character 12 pin set.

Games Workshop is the latest major IP owner to join The Koyo Store’s burgeoning collectables line-up, which also includes partnerships with Ubisoft, (Rainbow Six Siege), PUBG, Toei (Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball Super), Capcom (Street Fighter) and HBO (Game of Thrones)

“We are absolutely thrilled to be working with Games Workshop and the Warhammer 40,000 brand,” said Lee Townsend, founder and CEO of The Koyo Store. “We’re rapidly expanding our roster of first-class licensing partners, both within the video games industry and the wider entertainment markets. We are excited by what 2021 has in store. We already have three new licenses in the wings that are under NDA.”

The Koyo Store’s high-quality pin badges, coins and other unique merchandise have proved a hit among games, Esports and TV and film fans who are looking for great collectibles and the opportunity to claim bragging rights within their peer groups.

Based in Lancashire, the firm’s team has a strong and varied skillset, with designers, retail experts, gamers and pop culture fans working to produce epic merchandise and collectibles.

Big Picture Licensing named UK and Eire licensing agent for Brave Bunnies as portfolio plans get underway

Big Picture Licensing has been appointed the exclusive licensing agent for the UK and Eire, and master agent across EMEA and APAC for the animated pre-school series Brave Bunnies.

Created and developed by the Ukrainian creative production hub, Glowberry, the new series aims to blend the traditional feel of a pre-school property with modern and relevant themes of diversity and inclusivity. It follows the adventures of two brave and curious bunnies who journey through their world on the Bunny Bus in search of new friends.

52 episodes make up season one that, thanks to a partnership with Aardman as global content distributor, has already been placed with the likes of Milkshake and Nick Jr in the UK, SuperRTL in Germany, ABC in Australia, SVT in Sweden and more. The  show has already gone live in some territories, with further international roll-out scheduled during  Q1 2021.

On a global scale, Brave Bunnies has appointed a portfolio of licensing agents that includes DeAgnostini in Italy, and LaPanaderia, the master agent for the property in Latin America. Meanwhile, Big Picture Licensing has signed up a roster of leading agents in their respective regions, including CPLG for Benelux, Nordics, CEE, and Southern Europe, CLM for Africa, Centa IP in Australia and New Zealand, and Mediogen in Israel.

Brave Bunnies licensed products are set to roll out from Easter 2022, with Spin Master leading the charge as the property’s global master toy licensee. The firm will develop a range of pre-school toys based on the series. On top of this, Big Picture Licensing has signed up Penguin Random House as a strategic multi-territory licensee, joining Planeta Libra as publishing partners.

Brave Bunnies has already gone live in some territories, with further international roll-out scheduled for Q1 2021. A complimentary and comprehensive digital content plan is also in development. At MIPCOM last month, Brave Bunnies was the second most viewed show in the MIP Junior Screenings  Library (and number one in its preschool target-demo), and unsurprisingly interest is brewing in the licensing  arena. 

Sergey Molchanov, CEO at Glowberry, said: “We have taken a lot of care to ensure that Brave Bunnies has received the best quality treatment from the off, and we are delighted to maintain that  standard across our key commercial partner appointments.

“We’re grateful for the support and the  broad positive response to our property, and we’re just getting started.” 

Dan Frugtniet, MD at Big Picture Licensing, added: “We’re extremely proud and excited to be  working with Glowberry on this wonderful property, and delighted, but not at all surprised at the strong start – without exception, everybody who we have showed Brave Bunnies to has been  overwhelmingly positive about it.

“As well as finalising APAC agency appointments, we’re now  looking to secure UK licensing partners in all major product categories. Please get in touch to discuss  how you can hop on the Brave Bunny Bus.”

IMG to grow licensing programme for Planet Hollywood and Earl Enterprises’ restaurant portfolio

IMG has been appointed to head up the brand extension programme for Earl Enterprises’ portfolio of entertainment, leisure, tourism, and hotels and restaurants brands.

Under the deal, IMG will be working with Planet Hollywood, Buca di Beppo, Bertucci’s, Bravo! Italian kitchen, Brio Italian Grille, and Earl of Sandwich to develop new global product and brand partnerships.

IMG will work with Earl Enterprises to creatively extend its diverse portfolio across food, beverage, lifestyle, gaming, and experiential categories through a range of product and brand licensing collaborations that reflect the characteristics of its hospitality and restaurant brands.

“We firmly believe that customers’ affinities for our brands extend well beyond the in-restaurant dining experience and we are always looking for new ways to connect with our customers and be at the forefront of new trends,” said Robert Earl, founder and CEO of Earl Enterprises.

“IMG is the perfect partner to help take this to the next level, with a series of thoughtful licensed products and experiences that will embody everything customers know and love about our brands.2

Bruno Maglione, president of licensing, IMG, added: “We’re thrilled to be working with Earl Enterprises and its diverse portfolio of established restaurant brands loved around the world, from the iconic Planet Hollywood to the fun and festive family-favorite, Italian-American chain Buca di Beppo.

“Using our specialized expertise, we are looking forward to building upon their success and creating products and experiences that will allow consumers to enjoy their favorite menu items in new formats, new occasions and at home.”

IMG will pursue opportunities that reflect the heritage and tastes of each of the brands. IMG will work closely with Earl Enterprises and licensees to leverage the strength of the brands across a variety of new retail channels, including grocery, club, specialty, ecommerce, and more.

Bulldog Licensing signs Bioworld for Care Bears apparel and accessories

Bioworld is on board to create and launch a range of apparel and accessories inspired by the popular Cloudco Entertainment brand, Care Bears, targeting kids of all ages as the Care Bears licensing programme continues to grow.

Fast approaching its 40th anniversary, Care Bears continues to appeal to a wide range of fans, encouraged in their purveyance of the brand by an ever-increasing licensing portfolio, managed in the UK by Bulldog Licensing. The latest partnership with Bioworld will act to leverage the universal love for the property.

Fashion partners for the Care Bears brand already include the likes of Tikiboo and its athleisure range, Irregular Choice and its footwear line, and Dolls Kill with its clothing collection. The brand even returned to the kids’ aisles earlier this year when Basic Fun launched its toy line.

Having been met with strong sales and keen reception in the US market, Basic Fun recently launched its toy range to the UK where it is currently experiencing very strong sell-through already. The range is being supported with a heavyweight marketing campaign featuring two TVCs for both its plush and interactive Care Bears.

Meanwhile, the Care Bears’ broadcast partner Tiny Pop is supporting the series Care Bears: Unlock the Magic with daily slots on the channel. New partnerships with Sky and Moonbug now further position Care Bears for significant growth in the kids market here in the UK.

Bioworld joins other children’s partners, including Zak for homewares, Whitehouse Leisure, Redan, Aardvark, Crackerjack, and the Fun to Learn magazine.

Rob Corney, MD of Bulldog Licensing, said: “We’re thrilled to have Bioworld on board for Care Bears apparel. The brand has built a strong following over the past 38 years and has devoted fans who grew up with Care Bears, as well as an ever-growing following of little ones who are discovering the brand for the first time.” 

Roubina Tchoboian, VP of international licensing, added: “Bioworld joins at an exciting time for Care Bears, as the brand is continuously building with a range of best-in-class partners creating show-stopping ranges and collaborations.”

Plush toy specialist Posh Paws readies for “biggest year yet” thanks to heavyweight licensing portfolio

The plush toy specialist, Posh Paws International, is preparing for what looks to be its ‘biggest year yet,’ as it readies for 2021 with a raft of new releases and licensed launches based on some of the biggest children’s entertainment franchises of the past decade.

With a portfolio brimming with blockbuster movie licenses, including Minions 2: Rise of Gru and Jurassic World, as well as the perennial evergreen, Sesame Street, and the fan-favourite Swizzels confectionery branded range, the Essex-based pre-school and soft toy expert states that it’s ‘in a great position going into the New Year.’

While you could be forgiven for thinking that – with 2020 a year of dampened box office sales, widespread cinema closures, and a roster of delayed major film releases – the licensed gift market would be feeling rather sheepish over the prospects of an entertainment industry emerging from the mire of the coronavirus pandemic, it’s with a diverse portfolio of some of the most in-demand licenses of the moment that Posh Paws maintains an unerring confidence.

Licensing.biz catches up with Lauren Shipman, group brand and marketing director at Posh Paws International to talk about navigating the pandemic, the current strength in the gifting and ‘self-care’ markets, and what will be driving the firm to further success over the coming year.

 Hello Lauren, it’s been too long since we last caught up! I hope everyone there has their sanity intact. How has business been for you guys, and how has Posh Paws navigated the events of 2020?

It’s been a challenging year, I think we can all relate to that, but we’ve been able to remain positive and focus on what we do best, which is bring the highest quality products to market and support both retail partners and licensors during a time when it’s been crucial for us all to come together and stay strong.

We’re well overdue a run through of the brands you guys are working with today. Can you talk us through the strength of the portfolio, and how it has positioned the business for a strong Q4 and 2021?

Our portfolio for next year is incredibly strong and we’re delighted to be working with some of the biggest global brands and franchises across our pre-school toys ranges and our plush gifting catalogue.

We’re in a great position going into the new year with some blockbuster movie licenses like Minions 2: Rise of Gru and Jurassic World soft toys, as well as ever-green TV show Sesame Street, to confectionary favourites with our scented and very squidgy Rainbow Drops by Swizzels soft toys.

2021 is lining up to be one of our biggest yet for new releases and we’re fully committed to making sure it’s a big year for our customers too.

We’re in a strong position to finish such a difficult year for us all, and we’re doing all we can to work closely with our customers to ensure we can help them as much as we can. We are constantly encouraging our customers to reach out to us, as we can support them with a variety of marketing initiatives to increase awareness of our products in their stores and to drive sales, so we can enter 2021 in a good place.

We’ve launched some fantastic new products this year that appeal to a wide audience, from our new Sunny Bunnies soft toys with special voice and movements features, new BBC baby animals soft toys made with stuffing from 100 per cent recycled plastic, our adorable feel-good Love Hearts Foodie Friends characters and our beautiful British designed range of Ragtales toys that make for perfect Christmas gifts for babies and pre-schoolers.

With Minions 2, Jurassic World, and Sesame Street you guys seem to be covering all bases across pre-school, film, TV (on demand) etc. What has reception been like to the range so far? 

The reaction and support from retail for our 2021 ranges has been incredible and we’re busy finalising how we can maximise their support so that our launch activities are aligned to build awareness and drive growth.

With Minions: The Rise of Gru being postponed to 2021, we’ve been able to look at how we can make it bigger and better from marketing and product development, working closely with customers who have orders in already. We have some fantastic exclusive products ready to hit the shelves and working with one of the best-in-class licensors, Universal, 2021 will be the year of the Minions with Posh Paws.

Despite Jurassic World III being moved back to 2022, we’re roaring into the new year with a range of soft toys with everyone’s ‘favourite’ T-Rex, Blue the velociraptor and more. With the success of Netflix’s Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous, and brand new content scheduled for release next year, we’ve developed a range of toys to meet the demand by fans for Jurassic World product, while we wait for the next movie.

And of course, who doesn’t know and love Sesame Street? The brand and its values are very closely aligned with ours at Posh Paws, so it was the perfect partnership and we’re delighted to be joining such a globally heart-warming brand to bring some incredible toys to market next year. As well as standard soft toys, we’ll be launching an educational development range of characters that allow children to interact with Elmo and Cookie Monster, incorporating fun and learning in our soft feature toys.

It’s not just about licensed product with us and we have been working tirelessly on developing new own-brand ranges for pre-schoolers that incorporate educational play patterns and the comfort that soft toys bring little ones. So, if you’re looking for non-licensed toys and gifts, we’ll be happy to show you what we have planned and how we can work together.

How have the events of 2020 shaped or evolved the Posh Paws perspective? Has it impacted on the kind of brands that consumers are turning to? Looking at something like the BBC Earth partnership, have brand values come to play more of a role in consumer’s shopping habits?

We have seen an increase in shoppers buying more gifts for others within toys and games this year and this has been evident with our Swizzels Love Hearts plush toys. It’s been a year when people need to treat others and are buying products that can give a ‘feel good’ factor and put a smile on their face, which is exactly what our Love Hearts toys do, with fan-favourites like Alan the Avocado and his ‘Let’s Avo Cuddle’ message and our new Patrick the Pizza with his ‘Have a slice day’ giving positivity and personal messages during a socially-distanced year.

Seeing the growth in popularity for ‘gifts for me’, we’re expanding the range for next year with more positive messages and fun characters that will continue putting smiles on faces and contactless cuddles.

Sustainable products continue to be a huge talking point and driving the industry forward with new developments, which is why our BBC Earth collections of Planet Earth II, Blue Planet II and our new Baby Animals, with their stuffing made from 100 per cent recycled plastic bottles, have seen a big increase this year and appeal to both kids and adults.

Our long-standing partnership with the BBC has gone from strength-to-strength and their core brand values are reflected across all our animal toys and consumers see this and want to buy the highest quality products from brands that they trust.

Looking ahead to next year and our BBC range, we’ve got some fantastic new animal soft toys joining our existing eco-friendly portfolio, that are focussed on our much-loved British wildlife.

How have you guys reacted to or adapted the changes we’ve seen throughout the year, at a retail or consumer level, or a day to day business level?

We invested in increasing awareness of our products, and where they are available, across digital platforms and focussing on Social Media marketing campaigns to be where consumers are spending more time.

With soft toys specifically, consumers want to pick-up and feel the product, but with that being difficult this year, we’ve focussed on creating eye-catching and engaging digital content to bring our products to life for viewers, so they can almost touch them and get a feel for the quality and how great they are.

Working with retailers, we’re always looking at how we can best support them in-store and especially digitally, to build awareness and increase visibility through stand-out displays and content that captures consumers attentions.

How confident are you guys as we plough into Christmas? 

We’re confident that soft toys and gifts will remain a favourite for consumers this Christmas, with fun and quirky adult gifting seeing an increase during a time where being able to spend time together will be challenged. Soft toys for adult gifting are a great way of showing someone you care and have sentimental value, while also being a gift that keep close to them throughout the year ahead.

Children’s soft toys will always be perfect for Christmas ideas and if they do have added play patterns to them, like our Sunny Bunnies with sound and movement features, then it offers more value for money and something children can interact with on a more stimulating level – something we’ll all need this Christmas.

What’s the next big step for you guys?

It’s now all about how we can make sure 2021 is a great year for our customers and delivering high quality products that can joy and create unforgettable memories in the year ahead.

While we have a lot of great products planned for 2021, we’re constantly working on and looking for new inspirations to develop the best ranges.

Acamar Films eyes further digital and international growth for Bing with new chief content officer

Acamar Films, the independent studio behind the International Emmy Award-winning pre-school series Bing, has appointed Jodie Morris to the newly created role of chief content and audiences officer with immediate effect.

Morris joined Acamar two years ago and has been instrumental in leading the organisation’s successful development and implementation of a global strategy across a range of digital platforms and content formats. Reporting to Mikael Shields, Acamar’s CEO and producer and series voice director of Bing, Morris will take on an expanded leadership role within the company, overseeing the future strategy, planning and operation of the global distribution of Bing content.

She will also be responsible for driving audience growth across all platforms.

Under Morris’ leadership, Bing has already achieved substantial digital audience growth. The last 12 months in particular have witnessed exponential rises in views across a global YouTube network, significant growth across social media channels and over 750,000 downloads of Acamar’s proprietary Bing: Watch, Play, Learn app – an on-demand and games offering, launched in September 2019 and currently available in the UK, Italy and Poland.

With a wide range of major new local language productions now underway, Acamar is committed to deepening its relationship with the global pre-school audience – with a focus on broadening its Bing content offering, building a series of strategic platform-partnerships and expanding Bing’s geographic reach.

Bing continues to deliver outstanding performances across global linear and on-demand platforms, with the BBC having confirmed over 66 million iPlayer requests for Bing within just three months in 2020. A new series of Bing is currently enjoying high ratings as it launches internationally.

As chief content and audiences officer, Morris will work closely alongside Mikael Shields, Sandra Vauthier-Cellier (chief commercial officer), Julie Fitzjohn (chief operations officer) as well as the broader Acamar leadership team to build on the organisation’s remarkable success.

BBC Studios launches digital trading cards collection Doctor Who: Worlds Apart on blockchain

Doctor Who has completed its jump into the realm of digital trading cards with the launch of Doctor Who: Worlds Apart, a digital platform that features more than 200 trading cards for Whovians and collectors to obtain.

Developed by a pairing of BBC Studios and Reality Gaming Group, the new collection features trading cards based on characters, scenes, and objects drawn from the entire 57 year history of Doctor Who. Digital card packs are available to buy from today on the Doctor Who Worlds Apart website.

 There are four different packs for fans to purchase, each containing between five and ten limited-edition cards with hand drawn images. Fans can also collect 13 different cosmetic card frames.

As with physical trading cards, some will be rarer than others, for example, the TARDIS will be rarer than the Silurian. Collectors will be able to trade their cards in the marketplace launching early next year, giving fans another opportunity to trade their favourite character with other collectors

Each card is secured and protected on the blockchain, which means there can be no copies or disputes about ownership.

From next year collectors will be able use their cards to go head-to-head with friends in turn-based contests in the Doctor Who: Worlds Apart card game, a free-to-play tactical card game which will be released for PC in 2021.

The game will be action-packed, with battles fought on digital tabletop boards depicting recognisable locations from Doctor Who. Collectors will play a Time Lord, strategically outsmarting their opponents by building decks that are able to combat a wide variety of tactics.

Morten Rongaard, co-founder of Reality Gaming Group, said: “We are tremendously excited to be working with BBC Studios to bring Doctor Who’s huge global community an exciting new digital experience based on a pastime we all know and love – trading cards.

“The cards used in Doctor Who: Worlds Apart are both functional and collectible, so fans can actually own a piece of the game while they play.”

John Kavanagh, licensing manager, gaming and interactive, BBC Studios, said: “We’ve worked closely with Reality Gaming Group to deliver a fantastic opportunity to collect and own these beautiful cards and use them in a unique game experience.”

The digital card packs are available to buy now from $4.99 RRP on the Doctor Who: Worlds Apart website at https://doctorwho-worldsapart.com.