Tag Archives: FANATTIK

Immersive play | Fanattik on why creativity is running wild in video game licensing

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It’s odd to think of the video game licensing sector as one that is still in its relative infancy. There’s a maturity to many of the partnerships that circle the market and its audiences that would suggest the experience and wisdom of one established decades ago, when Pong’s first pixels flickered to life and into the homes of 1970s America.

Perhaps it’s a manifestation of an industry’s self-assurance? The video games sector has the charisma of an entertainment sector that not only knows its worth, but enjoys the fact that you know it, too. And it’s one fuelled by a fandom so immersed in its narratives, that when it comes to licensing, the consumer products space is a playground in which it can have a lot of fun.

That’s precisely what Anthony Marks, managing director of the pop culture specialist, Fanattik is doing right now. Having a lot of fun. Because gone are the days when games publishers would lean into the ‘bare minimum assets and a logo’ kind licensing, and here to stay is an era in which licensing is being given the chance to explore a game’s terrain, reach into its DNA and pull from it elements that reverberate with fans around the world.

And if you’re not buying that, then there’s at least some cool collectables being made.

Here, Licensing.biz catches up with Fanattik’s Anthony Marks to talk about the health of the video game licensing sector, the creativity that surrounds it, and why he’ll be shipping the entire development team off to the states come next year…

Hello Anthony, and thanks for taking the time to talk video games with us this week. Fanattik’s video game IP portfolio is continuing to grow, with some exciting titles added recently in Sea of Thieves. What do you and the team make of the health of the video games licensing space today?

Video games are the healthiest part of the licensing world in my opinion. It’s no secret that when Covid hit, it super charged what was already a fast growing sector. This is a huge market which a lot of retailers haven’t picked up on yet and that is why there is still so much opportunity for growth in this sector.

How do you think video games licensing has changed in the last few years? What are consumers and fans demanding from the video games merchandise they buy today?

When we first started signing up video game properties, merchandise was the last thing on the brand owners’ mind and you were lucky to get just a handful of assets along with the logo. Now it’s a very different picture as it’s not just about generating income for the brands anymore. The merchandise is an extension of their marketing activities and a way to further increase brand loyalty.

What is it about the sector that excites Fanattik? What level of creativity with licensing does today’s fandom around video games lend you guys when it comes to developing concepts?

The possibilities feel endless with gaming, whether it’s an upcoming big budget game or an evergreen title, the developers create such an immense backstory to each title it really does give us the opportunity to dig deep and create some really interesting pieces.

The creators know every nook and cranny so we work hand in hand with the studios. Next year we are sending a team to the USA to sit with one studio and immerse themselves in just one particular title. Whilst it could have been done over video, I believe you need to commit 100 per cent to develop concepts the fandom will truly appreciate, so we need to be face to face with their creative team.

Looking at the Sea of Thieves collection – from Doubloons to limited edition art prints – it appears to draw directly from game play or intricate components from within the IP. Why does video game licensing lend itself better to this level of immersion than other entertainment medium?

Unlike a film, where a fan walks out of the cinema and a few days later possibly only remembers the ending or the big action scenes, with games the fan can be playing the same part of the game over and over again for days to get to that next stage. They have to pay attention to every aspect of each part of the game they are in to learn how to progress and that, for example, is why the in-game replica’s we create for video game properties are working so well for retailers.

What are Fanattik’s plans in the video game licensing space? How will you continue to innovate and push the boundaries when it comes to immersion and linking IP with the merchandising?

Now is a great time to ask that question, we are in the final stages of renewing and expanding our licenses with two of the world’s biggest video game studios. We will be further focusing on in-game replica’s, luckily where I am a fan of the retro titles we have a great team of designers who are all avid gamers and you need that when you are trying to create something special, video game fans will pick up straight away if you are trying to wing it.

What do you think the future holds for video game licensing? What is exciting you about the scene right now?

What has always excited us is that this is still a relatively young industry, one where the consumers are happy to pay for an item with a retailer and wait three to four months until they receive the product without batting an eyelid. It’s also an industry where the brand owners encourage you to be as quirky as possible and create products that will stand out which suits Fanattik.

What would you like to see the licensing industry do with video game IP? Where do you think video game licensing should be heading?

I think it’s already happening and that is the studios putting more resources into promoting their retro titles and not just the latest release.

So, what’s the next step for you guys? 

Export, export,and export. In all license negotiations now we are aiming for, if not a global license then, as much territory as possible. The team put so much effort into each and every product it makes sense to get that product to as wide a range of fans as possible. So in 2022 we will have a presence at Nuremberg Toy Fair, New York Toy Fair as well as the Las Vegas Licensing show.

Thank you Anthony. Before we let you go, is there anything you’d like to add?

Only that we know it can be tricky for gift retailers who are new to this sector. They have to work out which gaming property to support and don’t want to risk shelf space on the latest game release if it may not be as well received by the fans as they had hoped.

On the other hand I can imagine a buyer trying to explain to their senior team that they want to allocate shelf space to merchandise from a 20 year old game. We are on hand to sit with buyers, show them our case studies and help them select a range that is going to work for them, after all it’s in our interests for them to sell as many pieces as possible!

Fanattik renews gift and collectables deal with Rare to span Sea of Thieves, Banjo-Kazooie and more

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The award-winning pop culture specialist, Fanattik has renewed its gift and collectibles licence with the video game studio, Rare, in a partnership brokered by Tinderbox, the digital media division of Beanstalk.

The pan-European licence covers Rare’s smash hit Sea of Thieves, the pirate-themed video game with 20 million players, as well as classic titles created by the studio including Banjo-Kazooie, Battletoads, Viva Piñata, and more.

Anthony Marks, MD at Fanattik, said: “We worked closely with the Rare team prior to the launch of Sea of Thieves back in 2018. With regular updates and features being announced all the time, this is a game that continues to excite gaming fans. As well as product for the general trade, we have been working on a lot of exclusive product for the official online store as well as selected gift retailers here in the UK.”

Gaming merchandise, which was already a growth area for the gift trade, has exploded given the millions of people who are gaming more due to having to spend more time at home during the pandemic. Fanattik and Rare now look to capitalise on this growth with gaming gifts and collectibles for Rare fans.

With Fanattik unable to exhibit this year at Toy, Spring Fair and Nuremberg, buyers have been invited to book video appointments with the team to learn more about the new products coming to market.

Luiz Ferreira, head of sales at Fanattik, said: “We are looking forward to bringing the trade up to speed with all our new release information, not just for Sea of Thieves, but all the other classic games that Rare has been behind.”

For further details and to book a video appointment, please contact hello@fanattik.co.uk

Finding Neverland | How adult fans are driving toy sales across the UK

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There’s no shame in admitting it, toys, games, gaming, and play doesn’t have to have an age limit; something that a growing portion of the UK population can attest to. Last year, the UK’s kidult market hit new heights, fuelled by a pandemic that left grown ups and kids at heart with a lot more time on their hands to revisit their old passions. Given the audience size, it’s a market that can’t be stopped

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A factoid that gets overheard often when you spend any length of time within a city setting, is that you’re at no point, more than seven feet away from a mouse. The same could probably be said for Funko Pop! figures.

In fact, the statistic is likely somewhat higher. Higher still if you swap out specifics for the term now used to categorise a demographic of people that appears to be expanding at an alarming rate. If the most recent NPD figures are anything to go by, the UK’s ‘kidult’ sector, that is the adult audience of toy fans, appears to be, well, breeding like mice.

Accounting for a staggering 27 per cent of the total toy sales here in the UK for the year end 2020, the kidult sector is one that can be, by any means, no longer ignored.

What started decades ago, with the advent of the pop culture consumer products scene has shifted from an underground following of ‘ultra-nerdom’ to a mainstream – if not staple – sector within the UK toy space. Time was, tell a room full of adults about your collection of Transformers toys or your Mage level in the latest tabletop campaign, you’d be faced with stifled chortles and a lifetime of social isolation. Today, those self-confessed nerds are our celebrities, our pop icons, and our sports stars. And that’s OK. These days, when it comes to the topic of adult collectors of toys games, there really is no kidding around.

Take the pop culture gift and consumer products specialist, Fanattik, for instance. In its last financial year report, the firm found itself up around 123 per cent. We’re all aware that 2020 will forever be classed as a ‘freak’ year for sales figures, with online shopping helping drive sales in sectors that wouldn’t necessarily be replicated on the high street, but how would you account for the 40 per cent growth, year on year, that Fanattik has enjoyed each year before Covid-19?

“Traditionally, we never supplied toy retail, our focus was always on the gift trade,” Fanattik’s managing director, Anthony Marks, tells ToyNews. “But enquiries from the toy sector dramatically increased last year, retailers were looking for something different to add to their online offering, and the ones that trialed our range never looked back.”

It’s become a common narrative across the toy industry that the kidult audience is being recognised and catered to at a growing pace by companies and retailers once more aligned with the traditional children’s audience. There’s a reason that the Toymaster catalogue has started including Wizards of the Coast’s Dungeons & Dragons, just as it has welcomed Games Workshop into the fold in recent years, and why Pokemon Trading Card Game sales are in the midst of a world-wide resurgence, and why the local toy shop is just a likely to stock miniatures painting kits as it is Jellycat plush toys for pre-schoolers.

The audience for toys today is multi-generational.

“The genie is out of the bottle,” exclaims Marks. “Just look at the success Playmobil has had with its Back to the Future range. The retailers we are speaking with throughout Europe say that they will always have shelf-space for the latest blockbuster, but the iconic film and gaming brands cannot be ignored anymore.”

Late last month, Fanattik released details of a major new partnership with Hasbro and its Wizards of the Coast segment through which it will launch a range of licensed gifts and collectables based on its Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons gaming franchises. It’s a marker of success for the firm that has managed to carve a reputable name for itself in a market notoriously protective of its favoured IP. Marks has high hopes that the range will replicate the success retailers saw with Fanattik’s Yu-Gi-Oh! ranges when the collection launches in Q3 this year.

“We do not go for the latest film or game release, it has to be a brand with multi-generational appeal, an existing fanbase that
due to the market’s focus on the latest game or film release, finds itself being ignored,” says Marks.

“The Kidult sector has been growing year on year, and the pandemic gave it a major push forward. With no new film releases, for example, fans were going back and watching their old favourites and introducing those films to family members who missed it, or were too young to appreciate them the first time around.

“There are also millions of new gamers that have been created by having to spend more time at home, and that’s an audience that cannot be ignored either.”

This article – and a more in depth look at some of the firms taking on the ‘kidult’ sector – appears in the Spring/Summer issue of ToyNews.

Fanattik partners with Hasbro to launch Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons gifts and collectables

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The pop culture gifting specialist, Fanattik, has signed a new partnership with Hasbro for its popular Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons franchises.

The team will work with the brands to develop pop culture focused gifts and collectables including money boxes, clocks, gifts, and more.

Both Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons have seen sales surge this past year, operating under the Wizards of the Coast and Digital Gaming segment within Hasbro. The two franchises helped the global entertainment company to robust first quarter sales, contributing to a gaming category that totaled $365.3 million for Q1 2021.

Anthony Marks, MD or Fanattik, said: “Retailers have enjoyed strong sales with TCG related product created by Fanattik over the past two years, and they were asking us to replicate this success with other brands and we listened to them.

“You can’t get much bigger than Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons.”

The two tabletop gaming properties enjoy a fanbase of millions around the globe, with numbers growing and set to continue growing as Hasbro rolls out further product and brand extensions. With an upcoming Magic: The Gathering Netflix series, a live action Dungeons & Dragons film, and a raft of video games featuring both on the horizon, demand for product is tipped to swell.

“With sales related to both of these brands exploding in Europe, we would like to invite gift and toy retailers who are not already talking to Fanattik to contact myself to book a video appointment to learn more about both of these ranges,” said Luiz Ferreira, head of sales, Fanattik.

Ferriera can be contacted via luiz@fanattik.co.uk

Fanattik steps into the ring with Rocky as the iconic film franchise celebrates 45 years

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The pop culture specialist, Fanattik, has signed a pan-European gift and homewares partnership with MGM for the iconic Rocky franchise in a deal brokered by the studio’s local UK agent, Rocket Licensing.

The new collection, spanning home decor, glassware, barware, gifts, and collectables, will debut later this year in time to mark the 45th anniversary of the original Rocky film starring Sylvester Stallone.

The new deal with the UK gifting company includes image rights, which means products featuring Mr T – who plays Clubber Lang – Dolph Lundgren as Drago, and Sylvester Stallone as Rocky will be heabily featured on product and packaging.

The Rocky and Creed franchise has remained a global phenomenon because it presents moviegoers with universally relatable themes that they can identify with – ambition, passion, determination and giving it your all to be a champion, even when the odds are against you. MGM’s Rocky and Creed films have generated more than $1.3 billion in worldwide box-office sales, three Academy Awards, and 10 nominations.

“Fanattik is licensed by many of the major film and video game studios and Rocky is a big hitter I have had my eye on for some time. Our initial discussions with European gift retailers have leaned towards Rocky product for Father’s Day and Christmas promotions but of course it’s suitable for fans all year round,” said Anthony Marks, M.D. Fanattik.

“Fanattik has seen phenomenal growth over the past three years with even more retailers coming on-board since the beginning of the Covid pandemic. With no new film releases, our focus on iconic, evergreen titles has been proven to be the right strategy. Retailers are looking for licensed product with multi-generational appeal and an existing fan base who are looking for gifts that remind them of happier pre-Covid times.”

Charlie Donaldson, joint MD, Rocket Licensing, added: “We are delighted to have Fanattik on board for the 45th anniversary of this ultimate champion’s franchise. The range of celebratory giftware and collectibles will be a fantastic addition to the broad licensed offering planned for 2021 and will encourage fans to tap into their inner champion.”

The Fanattik range will form part of a year-long celebratory marketing and product campaign to mark this milestone anniversary.

Fanattik builds on eighth year of growth and ‘significant 2020’ with enviable new office

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The award-winning pop culture specialist, Fanattik is scaling things up somewhat.

Following what the company behind some of the most sought after collectables and gift lines on the pop culture scene has billed as a ‘year of rapid growth,’ Fanattik is positioning itself for further expansion across the sector, with the decision that it’s going to need a bigger boat office.

Thanks to a step change in demand for pop culture brands over the past year, Fanattik has taken on new premises with a headquarters move offering more warehouse space and room to welcome a growing team, as well as a social media studio and new showroom for buyers.

The move, says Fanattik’s managing director, Anthony Marks, is a much needed one, given that the business has now seen now fewer than eight consecutive years of growth.

“Despite an initial downturn as the world came to a halt in March 2020, the rise in online shopping and a thirst for nostalgia coupled with the launch of our new in-universe collectibles has resulted in significant year on year growth of over 200 per cent,” said Marks.

Anthony (left) and Louise Marks (below, right), the husband-and-wife duo behind the Cheshire-based business wanted the new space to encapsulate the Fanattik spirit that is now demonstrated with the inclusion of an arcade machine, signed movie posters, celebrity fans on the wall, and of course, a bar area – that the firm insists has been set up as a designated area for the rigorous testing of its licensed drinkware offering.

If that’s not enough to turn you green with envy, Marks has also hinted at plans for a gaming and movie screening zone.

But it’s not all play. Fanattik, already a licensee for many of the leading video game and film studios, will be detailing several new high-profile licensing deals in 2021 as well as a major expansion to its current Universal Studios license.

Fanattik creates gift, home décor, drink/barware and collectibles and is geared up to supply every level of the European gift trade. As well as retro titles with multi-generational appeal its portfolio also includes product from four upcoming Netflix series as well as what will be the biggest blockbuster of 2022, Jurassic World Dominion.

“With the cancellation or postponement of most of the trade shows we are inviting retail buyers who would have normally visited our stands to contact me to arrange video meetings. Not only do we have upcoming licensed ranges to discuss but our existing portfolio contains almost 100 iconic titles from the world of entertainment,” said Fanattik’s head of sales, Luiz Ferreira.

Fanattik lands Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles gift license in pan-European deal

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The pop culture specialist, Fanattik, has signed a pan-European gift license with ViacomCBS Consumer Products to develop and launch a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles-inspired collection.

The new range will span home decor, barware, gifts, and collectables, all of which will be available from June this year in shops across Europe.

Considered one of the most popular kids’ TV programmes of the 1980s, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was created in 1984 by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird when it made its debut as a successful comic book series before becoming an animated TV series, a live-action TV series, and later spawning four blockbuster movie releases.

“From the comic books in the ’80s to the films of the ’90s and the more recent animated series, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a brand with real heritage,” said Anthony Marks, MD, Fanattik.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has been translated into a significant consumer products business with toys, apparel, home goods, video games, DVDs and more generating millions at retail.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a top selling action figure and the franchise is a previous recipient of the Toy Industry Association’s top honour for Property of the Year at the TOTY Awards.

“The whole creative team is so looking forward to working on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. With over 90 per cent brand recognition with both male and females under the age of 55 and such a well engaged fan base, the Fanattik team understands that we need to create a range that will appeal fans both new and old,” said Melissa Tudor, head of product development at Fanattik.

“Before it was announced to the team that we had this license the MD bought a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arcade machine for the office, so we must get this right, otherwise he is going to take it away.”

Mark Kingston, senior vice president, international, ViacomCBS Consumer Products, added: “We’re excited to amplify the Turtles universe with a fully loaded gifting range from Fanattik; with products that will resonate with the broad spectrum of fans from this beloved IP.”

Head of sales, Luiz Ferreira, said: “Fanattik works with all levels of the European gift market so we are asking toy an gift retailers that are not already talking to us to contact myself to book a video appointment so they can learn more about this upcoming Teenage Mutant Nina Turtles range.”

Ferreira can be contacted via Luiz@fanattik.co.uk

Fanattik is a licensee for 20th Century Fox, Microsoft, Capcom, Universal Studios, Capcom, Bethesda, Studio Canal and more.

Fanattik has won numerous awards with the latest being the North West Business Of The Year organised by the Federation of Small Business just prior to Covid.

The Fanattik Jaws bottle opener and Friends premium limited edition pin badge were both nominated for Gift Of The Year 2021.

Opinion: Is the Wild West about to be tamed? – Anthony Marks

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Anthony Marks is MD of Fanattik a pop culture specialist, a gifts and collectibles licensee for 20th Century Fox, Universal Studios, and Paramount Pictures. He talks us through why the days of the Comic Con counterfeiter may just be numbered

As a self-confessed geek I have no problem admitting that I have been visiting Comic Cons for more than 25 years, and many a time I remember queuing up for hours in the rain to get into an event and spend my money on product that mainstream retailers were ignoring.

Although visitor numbers have reduced from their heyday, a big London show can attract well over 100,000 visitors over a weekend and regional shows more than 30,000.

I still visit the shows, but this time with my commercial hat on to see product from all over Europe under one roof. The shows have never ceased to amaze me with regards to how much unlicensed poor quality product is freely available to buy, so I read with interest that a representative from Marvel was seen attending this month’s Liverpool Comic Con, it definitely had the exhibitors at the show in a tizz from the reports I received.

My company started off selling licensed limited edition art prints and many years ago we went through a phase of exhibiting at shows all over Europe, we found ourselves placed next to stands selling prints featuring images downloaded from the internet and run off on a home printer. We complained to show organisers and they just didn’t care, they had to sell the space and they didn’t care who they sold it to.

The most faked brands that we noticed always seemed to be Nintendo, Star Trek and Pokemon. I couldn’t understand why the brands weren’t sending representatives to these shows which were mostly in major cities, easily commutable from their or their agents offices.

A colleague used to take pictures of stands selling fake keyrings, pin badges, glassware etc but after being threatened by stall holders numerous times he decided it wasn’t worth doing anymore, especially as the show organisers and the brands we were sending the pictures to wouldn’t act on them anyway.

Licensees invest a lot of money in testing, especially on items such as jewellery as it comes into contact with the skin, the last thing the industry needs is a red top to report how a child’s neck turned green because they were wearing a necklace bought at a show. The press won’t care that the item was unlicensed they will just report the brand featured.

These stands are not always run by someone who just wants to make a little bit of extra money by selling product they produced at home, there is one large organised group which has multiple stands not just at the London shows but I have seen them at Frankfurt, Amsterdam as well as many of the regional UK shows, blatantly selling unlicensed product imported direct from China (I saw the packing boxes behind their stands). The show organisers know who they are but don’t want to get rid of them because of the number of stands they book all in one go.

A few years ago I offered my services to one event, I would travel down to their show at my own expense and walk the halls with one of their team to try and clean things up, they wouldn’t even have to buy me a sandwich for lunch, but they turned me down.

Things are changing though.

Newham Council – which covers Excel where a lot of the London events are held – sends a team to each event, they are very good at shutting down stands selling plush if they don’t have the CE mark on them, but when it comes to other product they are a little lost and they could do with brand representatives alongside to point out what shouldn’t be for sale.

An example of a pro-active brand is Bethesda. I saw its head of European licensing at an event last year visiting existing licensee’s and the smaller stands. When he saw unlicensed product, he showed the stall holder his card and stated calmly that his legal team were at the show and would be along in half an hour, so the offending product had to be taken down.

Sure, it helped that this man was built like he could go ten rounds with a professional boxer but the fact that he could prove he was an official representative of the brand was enough to persuade the exhibitor to co-operate.

With the bigger shows wanting to form more commercial relationships in the form of sponsorship deals with the brands, things are going in the right direction. In the future the Wild West may not be totally tamed, but it will at least be a safer place for fans and licensee’s to visit.

Fox, Universal, and Capcom licensee Fanattik picks up Small Business of the Year award

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The pop culture gift and collectables specialist, Fanattik is celebrating its major win last week when it picked up the award for Small Business of the Year presented by the Federation of Small Business.

The popular film and video game licensee currently boasts partnerships with some of the biggest studios on the scene, including the likes of 20th Century Fox, Universal Studios, Paramount Pictures, Bethesda, Microsoft, and Capcom. Fanattik was handed the accolade at an event held on Friday, February 28th.

The award has added to what Fanattik MD, Anthony Marks has already earmarked as a major year for the fast-growing company who has made a big name for itself in the pop culture gifting space.

“2020 is going to be a huge year for us, the response from retailers who visited the Fanattik stand at Spring Fair was better than we could have hoped for and to now follow that up with this award is a great way for us to start the year,” said Marks.

Fanattik product has previously been nominated for Gift of the Year several times in the past.

“But this award is extra special as it honours the whole team from the warehouse to buying and shows that a small company producing high quality items can compete with the major players in the gift industry,” Marks added.

For further information on the Fanattik gift and collectible ranges contact hello@fanattik.co.uk

Fanattik is bringing The Texas Chainsaw Massacre to Spring Fair

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The pop culture specialist Fanattik has added the famed horror movie franchise, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre to its portfolio of video game and movie titles.

The 1974 slasher has been widely recognised as the best of its genre by some of the biggest names in horror, including Stephen King who has previously suggested that the cult classic is ‘still the champion when it comes to pure fright.’

Under its latest deal, Fanattik is certainly looking to satisfy the blood lust of the franchise’ biggest fans with a range of gifts and collectables spanning price points from £7 to £25. It will make its debut at Spring Fair this year, as Texas Chainsaw Massacre nears its 50th anniversary.

“The franchise has been hugely popular for almost 50 years, Fanattik focuses on creating gifts and collectibles featuring brands with multi-generational appeal so this was a no-brainer for us,” said Anthony Marks, MD at Fanattik.

Among the critical praise that The Texas Chainsaw Massacre has received, the famed horror film director Wes Craven the title among his top five favourite horror movies, while The Telegraph has voted it the greatest ever horror film of all time.

The range will be available to view on the Fanattik stand at upcoming Spring Fair Hall 4 B73.