BGFG launches AgencyGMR to service tech and gamer brands

Tech, gaming and esports digital publisher By Gamers For Gamers (BGFG) is this month launching a full-service digital agency. AgencyGMR will provide creative, content and strategic services for brands in the tech, gaming and hardware industries, with plans to move into the wider consumer electronics market.

As an official TikTok partner, AgencyGMR aims to help brands reach new audiences across the globe via live commerce.

“We bring experience and credibility from our digital publishing arm. With our owned IP we know how to create content that resonates with gaming and hardware audiences,” says Craig Kirkcaldy, AgencyGMR’s Managing Director and COO of BGFG Group.

Roddy Burns, AgencyGMR’s Head of Partnerships, adds: “With a growing global audience of gamers and hardware enthusiasts, we have unparalleled strategic data and insight. We’re a recognised player within the sector and in our network, putting us in a great position to help brands create content that resonates.”

AgencyGMR also plans to host product experience workshops in its dedicated event space, providing brands with a physical hub to showcase their products. AgencyGMR is also working closely with SODA (School of Digital Arts) at Manchester Metropolitan University, and HOST Salford, to help develop the next generation of industry talent.

Made up of “passionate and experienced” gamers and tech lovers, BGFG aims to provides unbiased reviews, buyer’s guides, and answers to FAQs, designed to keep its global audience abreast of the latest tech and gaming trends. The company was founded in 2019 by brothers Andrew and Craig Kirkcaldy and William Blears, and benefited in 2021 from financial backing from Bill Holroyd – one of the original investors of global appliance firm, AO.com.

For more information or to discuss up and coming campaigns get in touch at hello@agencygmr.com or visit https://www.agencygmr.com/

 

Popeye and Angry Birds Friends unite in support of ocean conservation

Popeye the Sailorman and video game developer Rovio Entertainment have announced a partnership for a new, co-branded Angry Birds Friends x Popeye tournament in support of ocean clean-up organisation The SeaCleaners.

Running from January 31 to February 6, the tournament contains 24 Popeye-themed levels of competition alongside in-game ocean conservation messaging from The SeaCleaners.

Throughout the seven-day tournament, players will be tasked with stopping Bluto and the piggies from polluting, while collecting plastic waste in the game. As players advance through the game, they will learn unique and eye-opening facts about how our oceans are impacted by waste. For example, according to The SeaCleaners, every year between 9 and 12 million tons of plastic waste is tipped into the ocean. To combat this, the organisation advises players in the game to avoid single-use plastic by choosing reusable bags and bottles and plastic-free packaging.

“Rovio is delighted to team up with The SeaCleaners and Popeye to do our part for ocean conservation,” says Heini Kaihu, chief sustainability officer, Rovio. “Combining compelling games content with this very important message is a meaningful way of impacting our environment. We have a large audience through our games, and if we can contribute to increasing the respect for and safety of our planet, we want to take that opportunity. The Angry Birds may be angry, but they want to use their powers for good!”

Additionally, The SeaCleaners will host a giveaway where players will have the chance to win Bird Coins that can be used to purchase items in Angry Birds Friends such as power-ups, Mighty Eagles, avatars and more. For a chance to win, players will be invited to answer four questions about plastic pollution, which can be found on The SeaCleaners’ website. Winners will be chosen at random the week after the tournament concludes.

“The fight against plastic pollution is a collective battle,” says Yvan Bourgnon, president, The SeaCleaners. “We are extremely grateful to Popeye and Rovio for their commitment. Raising awareness about the dangers that threaten the ocean is part of our mission. What better vehicle for this than Angry Birds Friends, an incredibly popular game around the world? And what better spokesperson than Popeye, a timeless sea hero whose values we share? We feel privileged to be able to count on them!”

“Popeye is thrilled to join Red and the other Angry Birds on their mission to save the ocean from polluting piggies,” comments Beth Nock, brand marketing director, King Features. “This exciting partnership unites two incredibly popular character brands — providing fans with entertaining game play, while promoting a great cause. The SeaCleaners’ ocean clean-up technology is unprecedented, and we are grateful that the Angry Birds have joined forces with Popeye to shine a light on their impactful work.”

Popeye, the iconic, spinach-eating sailor and clean ocean advocate, is owned by King Features Syndicate, a unit of Hearst and home to some of the world’s most popular entertainment characters. Popeye first announced his representation of The SeaCleaners, an organization that focuses on long-term and worldwide preservation of the ocean, in 2020, joining its fight against plastic pollution and raising awareness of its ocean conservation efforts. This partnership continues Popeye’s commitment to sustainability and ocean conservation. Most recently, King Features debuted Popeye’s newest eco-conscious partnership, the Popeye® Sail Club, developed in partnership with Pick A Pier and Blue Flag to be the most advanced, rewarding and sustainable boating club in the world. In recent months, Popeye also launched sustainability-focused fashion collections with partners such as United Colors of Benetton, Original Marines, Brava Fabrics and À La Garçonne.

Launching on Monday, January 31, the Angry Birds Friends x Popeye tournament is available in 13 different languages including English, Spanish, German and more. Angry Birds Friends is available in the App Store and Google Play.

 

 

Novel Entertainment partners with P2 Games for Horrid Henry’s Krazy Karts

Novel Entertainment has partnered with P2 Games to develop and launch a new racing game for its internationally renowned Horrid Henry brand.

Targeting kids aged 6+ and families, ‘Horrid Henry’s Krazy Karts’ will initially be available exclusively from the Nintendo eShop on Nintendo Switch worldwide from Friday 21 January.

Based on Novel Entertainment’s hit TV series Horrid Henry, the all-new game will give players the chance to race as Horrid Henry or go head-to-head with him as Rude Ralph, Moody Margaret, Perfect Peter, Brainy Brian or Singing Soraya, gaining cups and upgrades to become the ultimate ‘Horrid Hero.’

The game features 40 challenging levels set across four themed locations: Gross World, Ashton Town, Ashton Primary and the Park. During the races, players control their racing karts to swoop over jumps and dodge obstacles, farts, goo and slime. Fans are also able to customise their kart in the ‘Wacky Workshop’ for extra advantage and win perfect power-up tokens.
‘Horrid Henry’s Krazy Karts’ will be available to play in single and multiplayer modes as well as offering both a Tournament and Race Mode option. The game also features a level design editor, giving users the chance to create and share their own horridly tricky challenges.

Lucinda Whiteley, Co-Founder and Creative Director at Novel Entertainment, says: “There continues to be a high expectation from Horrid Henry’s extensive international fan base for engaging ways to experience the brand across a multitude of formats and platforms. As such, it’s fantastic to once again team up with P2 Games and bring fans a new action-packed racing game, which incorporates all the Horrid Henry elements they know and love.”

Gerry Whiteside, Co-Director at P2, added: “We’re absolutely delighted to be working with Novel Entertainment once again to introduce the hugely successful Horrid Henrybrand to Nintendo Switch. This is the first game that P2, in collaboration with Mobile Pie, has developed for this device and we believe there’s a huge gap in the market for high quality kids gaming content.”

StoryToys launches LEGO DUPLO MARVEL mobile app

StoryToys (a subsidiary of Team17 Group plc), the LEGO Group and Marvel Entertainment have announced the launch of LEGO DUPLO MARVEL, a mobile app for preschoolers. With over one million pre-orders globally, the app is now available from the App Store and Google Play.

In LEGO DUPLO MARVEL even the youngest Marvel fan can engage with their favorite Super Heroes including Spider-Man, Captain America, Ghost-Spider and more. In each activity children help their favorite Super Hero save the day, whether shooting webs with Spider-Man or rescuing a cat with Captain America. They can also create and build structures with virtual 3D LEGO DUPLO bricks.

The app has been carefully aligned with the Headstart Early Learning Outcomes Framework to ensure it meets the developmental needs of 2–5-year-olds. Each play pack features fun challenges to support learning and development skills, including early math, creativity, reasoning and problem-solving.

The LEGO DUPLO MARVEL app is now available worldwide in twenty-six languages, with more to come in 2022. It’s free to download with additional content available to purchase.

“As a lifetime fan of both Marvel and LEGO bricks, this project is one that’s very close to my heart,” says Emmet O’Neill, CEO of StoryToys.

“We’re delighted to once again be collaborating with our amazing partners at the LEGO Group, and to be working with Marvel for the first time on such a special project. Preschoolers adore and aspire to be Marvel heroes and this app will offer them a positive digital experience tailored to their abilities. Whether kids are LEGO DUPLO fans, Marvel fans, or both, it’s our absolute privilege to bring them the opportunity to engage with their favourite heroes in this fun and educational digital experience.”

 

 

Minecraft supports Great Ormond Street Hospital with virtual winter wonderland

The world’s largest winter festival has opened its virtual doors to the public to experience Christmas festivities – all in a Minecraft world.

Covering an area with a representative size of over 155,000 square metres or 38 acres, the virtual wonderland is four times the size of the biggest real-world seasonal event in Austria and took specialist artist Ushio Tokura over 300 hours and more than 30 million individual blocks to complete.

Commissioned by NVIDIA, the NVIDIA RTX Winter World will give families across the globe a free festive immersive experience to explore, which exceeds its real-world counterparts in scale, that visitors can enjoy from the comfort of their own homes. It will also offer an opportunity to raise funds for NVIDIA’s charity partner, Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity (GOSH Charity).

Utilising NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX GPU’s (Graphics Processing Unit), real-time ray tracing stunningly simulates the physical behaviour of light, enabling reflections, shadows and other realistic lighting effects, as visitors are transported to a world offering a full winter wonderland and Santa’s grotto experience.

The world includes roller coasters, a Christmas village, frozen ice-skating lake, penguin postal service and petting zoo tent, with playable storylines and quests. Christmas film aficionados should also keep a lookout for Easter Egg homages to famous festive flicks such as ElfIt’s A Wonderful Life and The Polar Express.

The world also features a full recreation of the Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) building and visitors will be able to donate via an in-game QR code to contribute to the charity’s ‘Home for Christmas’ fundraising campaign, which seeks to bring seriously ill children one step closer to home by funding state-of-the-art medical technology, pioneering research programmes into treatments and cures for rare conditions and patient and family support services.

Money raised will also help bring Christmas to the hospital for children from across the UK whose treatment needs to continue over the festive season, as well as funding important services for GOSH staff working to care for patients and their families.  Visitors can also donate directly via this link.

An NVIDIA spokesperson said: “With the power utilised from our RTX GPU, we are thrilled to bring families across the globe a truly unique, virtual Christmas experience. We wanted to bring an accessible and free event for all families this Christmas, whatever their circumstances, while supporting the vital work our friends at Great Ormond Street do. We hope to raise as much as possible to help their efforts this Christmas.”

Families can download the NVIDIA RTX Winter World in Minecraft today at planetminecraft.com.

Minecraft supports Great Ormond Street Hospital with virtual winter wonderland

The world’s largest winter festival has opened its virtual doors to the public to experience Christmas festivities – all in a Minecraft world.

Covering an area with a representative size of over 155,000 square metres or 38 acres, the virtual wonderland is four times the size of the biggest real-world seasonal event in Austria and took specialist artist Ushio Tokura over 300 hours and more than 30 million individual blocks to complete.

Commissioned by NVIDIA, the NVIDIA RTX Winter World will give families across the globe a free festive immersive experience to explore, which exceeds its real-world counterparts in scale, that visitors can enjoy from the comfort of their own homes. It will also offer an opportunity to raise funds for NVIDIA’s charity partner, Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity (GOSH Charity).

Utilising NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX GPU’s (Graphics Processing Unit), real-time ray tracing stunningly simulates the physical behaviour of light, enabling reflections, shadows and other realistic lighting effects, as visitors are transported to a world offering a full winter wonderland and Santa’s grotto experience.

The world includes roller coasters, a Christmas village, frozen ice-skating lake, penguin postal service and petting zoo tent, with playable storylines and quests. Christmas film aficionados should also keep a lookout for Easter Egg homages to famous festive flicks such as ElfIt’s A Wonderful Life and The Polar Express.

The world also features a full recreation of the Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) building and visitors will be able to donate via an in-game QR code to contribute to the charity’s ‘Home for Christmas’ fundraising campaign, which seeks to bring seriously ill children one step closer to home by funding state-of-the-art medical technology, pioneering research programmes into treatments and cures for rare conditions and patient and family support services.

Money raised will also help bring Christmas to the hospital for children from across the UK whose treatment needs to continue over the festive season, as well as funding important services for GOSH staff working to care for patients and their families.  Visitors can also donate directly via this link.

An NVIDIA spokesperson said: “With the power utilised from our RTX GPU, we are thrilled to bring families across the globe a truly unique, virtual Christmas experience. We wanted to bring an accessible and free event for all families this Christmas, whatever their circumstances, while supporting the vital work our friends at Great Ormond Street do. We hope to raise as much as possible to help their efforts this Christmas.”

Families can download the NVIDIA RTX Winter World in Minecraft today at planetminecraft.com.

Azerion welcomes Teletubbies into the Habbo and Hotel Hideaway metaverses

Azerion, the digital entertainment and media platform behind the popular online games Habbo and Hotel Hideaway, is welcoming the Teletubbies to the metaverse in celebration of the brand’s upcoming 25th anniversary in 2022.

Under a new partnership with WildBrain, owner of the Teletubbies and a global leader in kids’ and family entertainment, the collaboration will include the exclusive release on December 14 of virtual products in Habbo and Hotel Hideaway.

Products available for purchase with virtual currency include Teletubbies-branded avatar onesies based on Dipsy, Tinky Winky, Laa-Laa and Po, as well as custom furniture, including the Tubby Toaster, Custard Machine and Noo-Noo the vacuum cleaner, for players to decorate their rooms in the game.

Established in 2000 by Finnish company Sulake as the first metaverse of its kind, Habbo is a user-generated virtual world and social gaming platform with a distinctive pixel-art style, available across nine language communities and attracting young adults (Gen-Z/Y) from over 150 countries. Hotel Hideaway is from the same makers and offers a 3D role-playing experience with seamlessly integrated creative events, full of opportunities to meet, create and share.

The Teletubbies brand partnership and launch is managed by Bare Tree Media, a leader in digital engagement for brands and the global digital licensee of Teletubbies, in collaboration with WildBrain’s leading licensing agency WildBrain CPLG.

“We’re excited to work together with Bare Tree Media and WildBrain CPLG on welcoming the iconic Teletubbies into our virtual worlds,” says Madelon Smittenaar, Business Development Manager of Azerion. “This partnership demonstrates the many possibilities when it comes to brand partnerships and immersive experiences in this space. The values the Teletubbies embody will really resonate with the diverse and inclusive communities of Habbo and Hotel Hideaway.”

“We’re thrilled to bring the Teletubbies into the metaverse in the form of virtual goods for avatars and virtual spaces within Habbo and Hotel Hideaway,” adds Robert Ferrari, President of Bare Tree Media. “The nostalgia that the Teletubbies evoke as true pop culture icons is a perfect fit for the game demographics and we look forward to further releases throughout 2022.”

 

Warner Bros Games and DC announce Wonder Woman video game

Warner Bros Games and DC have announced a new third-person, open-world action-adventure video game featuring the iconic DC Super Hero, Wonder Woman.

In development by Monolith Productions, creators of the critically acclaimed Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and sequel Middle-earth: Shadow of War, the single player open-world action game will introduce an original story set in the DC Universe and allow players to become Diana of Themyscira in the fight to unite her Amazon family and the humans from the modern world.

Powered by the Nemesis System, gamers will forge deep connections with both enemies and allies as they progress from a heroic fighter into a proven leader.

“Wonder Woman is one of the most iconic DC Super Heroes of all time, standing for truth, justice and equality for over 80 years, and we’re proud to be creating an exciting new gaming chapter in this legendary character’s legacy,” says David Haddad, President, Warner Bros Games. “The talented team at Monolith Productions is building upon their strengths to bring players a Wonder Woman game that is unlike anything they have ever experienced.”

“At Monolith Productions, we believe in the power of player-driven storytelling to unite people,” comments David Hewitt, Vice President, Studio Head, Monolith Productions. “The stories our players share inspire us every day, and we are honoured to take players on a unique personal journey, driven by the values embodied in Wonder Woman.

“The Nemesis System raised the bar for player-driven storytelling and we’re excited to push the open-world genre forward, combining cutting-edge action with inventive narratives to create a Wonder Woman game everyone will want to play.”

 

Far Cry 6 collectables available now from Koyo and Ubisoft

Entertainment merchandise specialist Koyo and video game publisher Ubisoft have expanded their partnership to launch officially licensed Far Cry 6 collectables.

The new products build on Koyo’s existing Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six offering, which encompasses a range of pin badge collectables based on popular characters and iconic items from the Ubisoft franchise.

Koyo’s latest range of ‘must have’ items for Far Cry 6 fans includes:

Logo Keyring – Far Cry 6 logo nickel keyring with soft enamel finish.

Logo Pin Badge – Far Cry 6 logo nickel pin badge with soft enamel finish.

3D Lion Pin Badge – Metal 3D pin badge replica of in-game dictator Antón Castillo’s lion neck-tie pendant.

Animal Pin Badge Sets – Containing some of the fan-favourite animals from within the game, including Guapo, Chicharron & Chorizo.

Backpack Pin Badge Sets – Containing some of the most popular backpacks from within the game, including Exterminator, Furioso, Fantasma & the Gladidor.

Patch Set – Embroidered flag patch and PVC logo patch, both attachable with Velcro.

Steel Mug – Double-wall insulated steel mug in matte black finish with Far Cry 6 double logo print.

Water Bottle – 500ml water bottle in matte black with logo print and added carabiner clip.

The collectables are available globally for fans to buy direct at https://thekoyostore.com/collections/far-cry-6 or through retail stores worldwide.

“We’re thrilled to have expanded our long-standing partnership with Ubisoft to include Far Cry 6 collectables for the very first time,” says Koyo COO Helen Garlick. “It’s fantastic to have these collectables available in time for Christmas – we know fans will love the items and we’ll be adding more from Far Cry 6 over the coming months.”

 

 

Ubisoft joins Fabacus to unlock digital licensing possibilities

Ubisoft, Venum and Fabacus are launching an activation using physical licensed products to unlock digital rewards and experiences for consumers, in a deal brokered by IMG.

For the first time, Fabacus, the global technology business and creator of proprietary technology platform Xelacore, has partnered with interactive entertainment and gaming company Ubisoft to integrate its licensed product into the Assassin’s Creed Valhalla brand universe with a dedicated capsule collection with the combat sportswear brand Venum.

Fabacus is levelling up the possibilities of its technology to cross formats and consumer ‘worlds’ with codes on physical Ubisoft x Venum products to unlock in-game rewards for players and their digital avatars. This is not the first time that Venum and Fabacus have collaborated together, having also partnered up earlier this year for a UFC x Venum collaboration to unlock exclusive products and UFC prizes.

“We are very excited to be kicking off this partnership with Ubisoft and breaking the boundaries between on-and-offline brand integration,” says Andrew Xeni, CEO & Founder of Fabacus. “Not only are we fuelling Ubisoft’s data driven strategies, but we are also broadening brand universes for consumers, using their Assassin’s Creed x Venum apparel purchases to unlock in-game rewards such as Shields. The possibility of what our technology can achieve within the advancement of gaming for licensors and licensees alike truly excites me.”

Addie Dorsey, Licensing Consumer Products at Ubisoft, commented: “As we move towards a world of new possibilities within AR & VR gameplay, we wanted to integrate our licensed products into our digital brand ecosystem, to not only provide our consumers with exciting, unique experiences, but also to allow us to expand the Assassin’s Creed Valhalla brand universe across sectors, in a way we had never been able to before.”

The campaign is due to go live today across the world, with codes concealed within selected Venum products for consumers to discover. Anyone who takes part in the activation will receive a free in-game reward: the Ouroboros Shield, a sturdy black metal shield decorated with a representation of a snake eating its own tail infinitely. Participation will also provide a chance to win Eivor figurines from the Assassin’s Creed game and discounts codes on Venum products.