AKCO and BOTI team up for BATTLE CUBES content and sports licensing deals

AKCO (Andrew Kerr Consulting Inc) is to spearhead content development and licensing endeavours for BATTLE CUBES, the innovative toy from Dutch/Hong Kong toy company BOTI (Big On Toy Innovation). The partnership is kicking off with a global license agreement with the National Hockey League (NHL).

The arrangement between AKCO and BOTI will see AKCO drive the creation of animated BATTLE CUBES content by third party studios, and oversee global distribution and merchandising based upon it, including key global and pan-regional sports licenses for the BATTLE CUBES brand.

The deal between BOTI and the NHL involves BOTI bringing each of the NHL’s  32 teams to life as individual BATTLE CUBES in NHL-branded multi-packs and playsets beginning in mid-2022 in North America and Europe.

Andrew Kerr of AKCO commented: “I’m excited to be working with Nico Blauw (CEO) and his team at BOTI. They are genuinely one of the most capable and creative toy companies in the world.

“BATTLE CUBES is a remarkable toy platform and I’m incredibly pleased to have the NHL on board as our first global sports license – it’s a great combination!”

Nico Blauw of BOTI commented: “I’m very happy to be working with Andrew and AKCO on BATTLE CUBES. We’re off to a tremendous start in Europe with the BATTLE CUBES toy range, winning multiple awards and selling out entirely in many retailers.

“Creating animation for BATTLE CUBES and adding best-in-class sports licenses like the NHL are ideal next steps as we roll out the brand in North America and Asia in the months to come.”

BATTLE CUBES is a proprietary and patent-protected toy platform brought to market in Europe by BOTI in Spring 2021. BATTLE CUBES takes the classic ‘Rock, Paper, Scissors’ game play and incorporates it within a small, handheld cube that can readily battle with another.

BOTI has partnered with Spanish toy company EOLO to create licensed Marvel’s Avengers and Spider-Man BATTLE CUBES which have consistently sold out in Europe, and have been awarded Toy of the Year for 2021 for both the Netherlands and Belgium, and received the Seal of Approval from the National Parenting Center in the US.

 

Bit Fry Game Studios scores NFL Players Association partnership for its latest video game push

Bit Fry Game Studios has struck up an agreement with OneTeam Partners and the NFL Players Association to bring an officially-licensed football game to the studios’ growing line-up of sports videogames.

The games developer already incorporates select NFL players into its existing arcade action NHL-licensed hockey game Ultimate Rivals: The Rink, and its upcoming NBA-licensed basketball game, Ultimate Rivals: The Court. With the NFLPA license, Bit Fry will enable users to play on the virtual gridiron with superstar athletes from across hockey, basketball, baseball, and soccer, alongside a select roster of NFL players.

The agreement grants Bit Fry the right to feature the names, numbers, images, and likenesses of nearly 2,000 current NFL players in an arcade action football game. OneTeam, the NFLPA’s group licensing representative, facilitated the deal.

“Bit Fry is the leading studio in the arcade-action sports segment and is thrilled to be bringing the NFL players into the Ultimate Rivals universe with another play-book shredding, category defining title that gives football a video-game treatment unlike any seen before it,” said Ben Freidlin, CEO and founder of Bit Fry Game Studios and the creator of the Ultimate Rivals franchise.

“Fans of the franchise can expect the studio to remain dedicated to an exceptionally high quality experience, including all of the standard baseline ingredients of a Bit Fry game, such as 60fps framerates minimum, an unprecedented balance of approachable gameplay and high skill-cap depth, and industry standard-setting visuals and auditory aesthetics.”

Steve Scebelo, interim president, NFL Players Inc, added: “Bit Fry’s games continue to impress, providing opportunities for fans to create virtual team mashups while including the likes of Alex Morgan, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Mike Trout and Skylar Diggins-Smith.

“As we look for new ways to connect with sports gamers, especially in today’s climate, this is an exciting development for fans and the future of gaming.”

“We are constantly exploring ways to innovate how athletes interact with fans across the ever-evolving games landscape, and this partnership with the NFLPA and Bit Fry Game Studios illustrates the creative potential that exists,” said Ahmad Nassar, CEO, OneTeam Partners.

Ultimate Rivals: The Rink is available now exclusively on Apple Arcade and will be followed by Ultimate Rivals: The Court. Bit Fry’s football game is scheduled for release in 2021, with platforms to be announced at a later date.