Electronic Arts acquires Golf Clash mobile game makers Playdemic from WarnerMedia for $1.4bn

Video game publisher, Electronic Arts has acquired Warner Bros. Games’ Playdemic Ltd, the mobile games studio behind the popular app game Golf Clash, for $1.4 billion in cash. The move is the latest in EA’s ongoing strategy for mobile game growth and drive to ‘deliver new experiences’ to its network of half a billion players worldwide.

Founded in 2010, Playdemic is a mobile gaming company known for its award-winning Golf Clash, a title in which players compete with each other around the world in real time. It has been recognised as one of the leading mobile games in the US and UK with more than 80 million downloads globally to date.

The game has even been honored with numerous industry awards, including winner of the BAFTA Games Mobile Game of the Year (2018), Mobile Games Awards Game of the Year (2018), PocketGamer.biz Game of the Year (2017) and The Independent Game Developers’ Association (TIGA) Awards Game of the Year (2017).

“We have enjoyed working with the talented team at Playdemic as they have grown Golf Clash beyond all expectations into a hit mobile game with tremendous longevity,” said David Haddad, president, Warner Bros. Games. “While we have great respect for the Playdemic team, our decision to divest is a part of our overall strategy to build games based on Warner Bros. storied franchises.”

Andrew Wilson, CEO of Electronic Arts, said: “Playdemic is a team of true innovators, and we’re thrilled to have them join the Electronic Arts family. In addition to the ongoing success of Golf Clash, the talent, technology and expertise of Playdemic will be a powerful combination with our teams and IP at Electronic Arts.

“This is the next step building on our strategy to expand our sports portfolio and accelerate our growth in mobile to reach more players around the world with more great games and content.”

The acquisition will add to EA’s mobile portfolio of more than 15 top live services across fast-growing genres, including lifestyle, casual, sports, and mid-core games.

Playdemic’s experienced executive team has worked together since 2014, with strong expertise in mobile games and a proven track record of success in clash games. Playdemic’s expertise in building mobile games beloved by players around the world, combined with EA’s industry-leading IP, presents opportunities to expand the clash mechanic to other franchises and for future growth in mobile experiences.

“We founded Playdemic with a focus on creating highly engaging and innovative game experiences. Our success with Golf Clash has proven our approach and demonstrated the ability of our incredibly talented teams to develop and operate best in class mobile games,” said Paul Gouge, CEO of Playdemic.

“Joining EA, one of the most successful games companies in the world, is an important next step in our journey and we are excited to continue to develop both Golf Clash and new titles as part of the EA family.”

The purchase price for the transaction is subject to customary adjustments, and will be paid in cash at closing and retained by AT&T. The transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals.

The remaining Warner Bros. Games portfolio is included in the recently announced WarnerMedia-Discovery transaction and will become part of the combined media and entertainment company after the expected close of that transaction.

WarnerMedia merges with Discovery in latest move to join the streaming giant race

The scene has been set for the creation of yet another streaming giant vying for consumer attention, through the planned merger of AT&T’s Warner Media with Discovery.

The landmark deal will see the two companies become the second largest media group by revenue after Disney, with $41bn in sales annually as it brings together movie giant Warner Bros, HBO and other networks along with Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, TLC and more.

“This agreement unites two entertainment leaders with complementary content strengths and positions the new company to be one of the leading global direct-to-consumer streaming platforms,” AT&T chief executive, John Stankey said in a statement.

“It will support the fantastic growth and international launch of HBO Max with Discovery’s global footprint and create efficiencies which can be re-invested in producing more great content to give consumers what they want.”

The joint company – still in the process of decided a new moniker, with suggestions including Warner Discovery, Warner Bros Discovery and Warner Discovery Media – will be lead by Discovery’s president and chief executive, David Zaslav, who has said that the combined company would spend around $20 billion a year on content. 

Zaslav has suggested that the company could see its annual sales hit $52bn by 2023.

The merger will sit among some of the most significant deals of the past five years, alongside Disney’s purchase of Rupert Murdoch’s Fox empire, and AT&T’s acquisition of Time Warner. It is part of a plan to increase AT&T’s content pool as the streaming race intensifies further.

Netflix is leading the race to date with over 200 million subscribers, while Disney+ boasts its 104 million. Both HBO and Discovery entered the race recently with the launch of HBO Max and Discovery+. HBO Max, together with the HBO cable network has around 44 million customers, while Discovery has 15 million global streaming subscribers.

For WarnerMedia, the deal will mark the third restructuring in as many years.

Master Moley ‘will drive a major licensing roll-out’ but timing for the property will be key

The new British-made children’s property, Master Moley – that witnessed a successful premiere on WarnerMedia’s Boomerang channel just last month – has been the focus of ‘several proactive approaches from publishing and toy partners’, as the creative team behind it promises to be meticulous in its licensing strategy.

Master Moley made its debut in November as a TV special on the Boomerang channel that launched to more than 100 territories across EMEA. Following a ‘phenomenal start’, the show’s creator James Reatchlous is among the team now in production on a full Master Moley animated series.

The Misadventures of Master Moley will comprise 52 episodes and will continue the adventure of Master Moley and his friends. In addition to this, a feature-length film is also in development.

“Master Moley has got off to a phenomenal start,” Reatchlous tells Licensing.biz. “We’ve already received proactive approaches from both publishing and toy partners. We are in a good position and making sure each step that we take is exactly the right one for this unique property.

“All of the elements are there for a full, cross-category merchandise programme and as soon as the time is right, we’ll be in discussions with the key partners straight way.”

Master Moley follows the adventures of the titular hero, a mole residing under the foundations of Windsor Castle, who finds himself on far-flung escapades as children and audiences travel with him, exploring the world and different cultures.

Here, Licensing.biz catches up with Master Moley creator, James Reatchlous to learn more about the plans for the British-made children’s property, the perks of launching an IP through Roblox, and why timing will be key to the success of the IP’s comprehensive licensing programme.

James Reatchlous with his two daughters, for who he created Master Moley

Hi James, and first up – congratulations on the strong positive reception to Master Moley. That must be very encouraging as you start to look at wider licensing plans for the IP. What do you think Master Moley brings to audiences and to the licensing space?

Master Moley has got off to a phenomenal start. We are really thrilled with the reaction the TV Special has received following its premiere on Boomerang in November. Viewers in over 110 countries across EMEA met Master Moley, and I couldn’t be more delighted.  The feedback and response has been incredible, it’s a really strong start for us.  I’m confident that this is just the starting point as we build our audience ahead of the launch of our commercial plans.  

 I truly believe that Master Moley is just what we all need right now – bright colour, optimism, kindness and adventure. At its core it is a fun and wholesome entertainment show that appeals to the whole family, and crucially it really sparks the imagination of young viewers. The underground world of MoleTown is a rich creative canvas that enables our characters to have adventures all around the globe – something we’ll see a lot more of in the series.  

Moley is such a charismatic character, but he also has lots of friends in the TV Special and upcoming series, so there really is something for everyone. A wide variety of characters, gadgets, and locations will feature in the series  and we’re supporting the growth of the audience through high profile digital led initiatives right from the outset.    

The partnership with Roblox looks brilliant. Why does this mark an important step in building out a licensing programme for Master Moley? How does this deal help you tap into the core audience for the property?

We couldn’t be happier with the Roblox computer game, it’s great fun and a fantastic way for children to find and engage with new content safely. We wanted to start building the brand outside of the TV space, and so we worked with specialist agency Dubit to develop the Roblox game. This was a strategic move to go to where the children already were, to raise the brand recognition.  

We launched the game just before the special aired on Boomerang to capitalise on the audiences who tuned in, and vice versa, for those who found the content via Roblox, it encouraged them to go and watch the animation on Boomerang. It was a great success with over 60,000 plays in the first week. We have followed the launch with some great videos by Roblox influencers who have capitalised on the excellent start that we’ve made and grown our player base even further.

Roblox serves an incredibly important role for us – not only does the platform enable us to introduce Master Moley to their incredible user base, it will also continue to build the Master Moley fanbase in between the premiere of the 30-minute special on Boomerang and the series launching in 2021. Roblox provides both a bridge between the special and the series, where children can discover and engage with MoleTown and the universe of Master Moley, and visibility when he’s ‘off’ our TV screens, driving enthusiasm for the series during this time.  

You’ve mentioned to us before that you have extensive licensing plans for Master Moley. Could you talk us through these? Where would you like to take Master Moley?

There’s a rich universe in Moletown which brings in elements of upcycling alongside exciting locations and innovative vehicles… the lives of the characters in the show and the items with which they interact, really provide a great opportunity for similar lines of product in the real world.

We are very well aware that the commercial world revolves around the ability of a brand to reach its audience. Whilst we believe we have a brand with huge potential and there is tangible excitement among our commercial partners, the licensing roll out will be slow and phased and we will only begin pitching to partners in earnest once we know the audience reach is there to enable our licensees to be successful on shelf. Watch this space as the audience is set to grow quickly.

What sort of partnerships do you think will be the integral to the licensing success of Master Moley? Are you looking for toy partners for the property, and if so, what do you think Master Moley can bring to the toy space?

We’ve already received proactive approaches from both publishing and toy partners. We are in a good position and making sure each step that we take is exactly the right one for this unique property. We already have a movie special and a 52-episode TV series, not to mention a feature film in the works, all of which will support the growth of the brand creatively.

We are completely focused on delivering the audience. All of the elements are there for a full, cross-category merchandise programme and as soon as the time is right, we’ll be in discussions with the key partners straight away.

Ultimately, Master Moley is a brand which will be able to drive products from major toy lines to publishing, soft lines and home… but timing is key and we have brought in a team of the industry’s leading professionals to ensure we get this right… your readers will no doubt be hearing from them.

What do you think is key to Master Moley’s success on the international scene? As Master Moley continues to grow in the international markets, how will you maintain the core values of what makes it unique?

Master Moley is truly international. He might currently reside under Windsor Castle in England but his adventures take him all over the globe, which will appeal to audiences worldwide. Children can travel with him exploring the world and different cultures.  And there are plans to have episodes take place in different countries, to widen that appeal.  

The beauty of animation of course is that you can translate it into different languages. We have a stellar British cast for the English-speaking territories, including Gemma Arterton, Warwick Davis and Julie Walters, but we can cast amazing international actors for different languages and territories. It opens up enormous possibilities for Master Moley to become a truly global powerhouse. 

At the heart of Master Moley are charismatic characters, whose values are shared around the globe – kindness, enthusiasm, friendship, adventurousness, love… all with a desire to learn, meet new people and find a positive way out of slightly sticky situations. That is a key thread throughout each episode.  

What’s the next step for you?

We are currently in production on the Master Moley series, The Misadventures of Master Moley, which will comprise of 52 x 11-minute episodes and continue the adventures of Master Moley and his friends – including lots of new friends and places to explore. In addition to the series, we are developing a feature-length film adventure for Moley.

The world is Master Moley’s oyster! 

And the West will follow: Life and licensing for Crunchyroll at the forefront of the anime explosion

Leading the charge of an estimated $20bn anime market is a rather pretty place to be sitting at the best of times, but with this value only expected to grow as the popularity of the Japanese art form continues to sweep across audiences to the West, it’s undoubtedly a large grin that spreads across the faces at Crunchyroll right now.

With the largest community of fans – that’s more than 70 million registered users – and 3 million paying subscribers on the books, Crunchyroll is well and truly at the forefront of the anime and manga popularity explosion. Not only does it boast the world’s largest collection of anime, including more than 1,000 titles and 30,000 episodes, but it is engineering further growth across the market with development in the distribution, events, and licensed games channels, too.

John Leonhardt, head of consumer products at Crunchyroll

The plan, according to John Leonhardt, head of consumer products at Crunchyroll, as he speaks exclusively with Licensing.biz, is now to “elevate anime into an extraordinary lifestyle,” and doing so by licensing it in to theatrical, TV, consumer products, and video game markets – jumping on the opportunity that has seen the pop culture genre become an international sensation over recent years.

“Anime continues to grow in popularity all over the world,” Leonhardt tells Licensing.biz. “We see anime’s evolution from an exclusively Japanese category to a worldwide sensation as one of the most fascinating case studies in modern branding history, and a testament to the power of anime’s ability to tell rich, captivating stories.”

It’s certainly helped the genre’s cause that the last decade has seen the geek culture shake off its stigma to become fully embraced by the mainstream today. Among its globally-spanning audience, high profile names including John Boyega, Michael B Jordan, Megan Thee Stallion and even the wrestler Xavier Woods have outed themselves as celebrity fans of the medium. 

And yet, there is still room for anime to grow.

“We recognise that adult dramatic animation is still in its infancy here in the West,” continues Leonhardt. “Anime is so much more than one genre – it’s a storytelling medium that crosses many genres, including sci-fi, sports, thriller, adventure, action, romance, and more.”

Having been recognised as ‘the world’s best home for anime’ for over ten years now, Crunchyroll recently crossed a major milestone when it landed its 70 millionth registered user and three millionth subscriber; a demonstration, it says, that “the growth of anime shows no signs of slowing down.”

Part of WarnerMedia and having acquired Viz Media Group only last year, Crunchyroll has not only expanded its suite of brands and capabilities in a very short time, but has also become a world leader of the anime medium, with roots embedded in markets across the globe. That’s not bad for a company that started out life as a content sharing platform based in San Francisco some 14 years ago.

In the coming year, Crunchyroll is expecting to see its diverse slate of anime series, as well as its continued collaboration with the European arm, Crunchyroll SAS, to drive significant growth for the overarching company. In Europe alone, Crunchyroll SAS has plans to deliver merchandising programmes for key IP in library, including My Hero Academia and Captain Tsubasa, focusing on publishing, apparel, figures, toys, stationery, back to school, accessories, homeware, and health and beauty.

“Crunchyroll SAS will also tap into the broader EMEA network of partners across live events, gaming and more to enhance a fast-growing licensing plan and a strong retail presence supported by marketing activations across Europe,” says Leonhardt.

2020 may have served up its fair share of challenges for all to handle, but Crunchyroll has remained resolute in its mission to deliver anime to the global community, even when it meant transforming its Crunchyroll Expo into the first-ever Virtual event. On top of that, the firm has secured distribution partnerships with Cartoon Network in LATAM and TNT Comedy in Germany, while Crunchyroll Games has made its library of anime-inspired games available to the international audience.

“We put our fans first,” continues Leonhardt. “Being everything for someone and making sure we deliver the best of anime to them is what makes us successful.

“The licensing business is being driven by product and experiences, the pandemic has seriously disrupted some of the planned strategies for 2020/2021, leaving licensing and retail businesses particularly exposed.

“This disruption pushes us and our partners to explore a number of new creative options to enable the same experiences online or virtually. This change was actually predictable and already going on, but let’s say that the world situation we’re all facing today has accelerated the process of finding ways to keep our community in.”

It’s that community, that 70 million worldwide, Leonhardt understands, is what is at the heart of the anime boom right now. A fervent collective of fans, all of whom are looking for means to express their fandom. This is what Crunchyroll is servicing today.

“In addition to a deep library of titles, Crunchyroll has a passionate global community that love to wear their fandom as a badge of honour,” says Leonhardt. 

“Between the new content coming to the platform, Crunchyroll’s increasingly global presence in the anime industry overall, and Crunchyroll’s continued commitment to building out 360-experiences for the anime community with consumer products, live and virtual events, games, and more, the future looks bright for the year ahead,” he concludes.

Crunchyroll and Adult Swim partner for anime series based on SEGA video game franchise Shenmue

It’s been a busy weekend for the global anime brand Crunchyroll who spent the past two days rolling out a roster of new announcements and partnerships as part of its Virtual Crunchyroll Expo, including the renewal of its partnership with Adult Swim for the production of the original anime series Shenmue, based on the SEGA video game franchise.

The year’s expo was the first time Crunchyroll had brought the annual offering to the digital space, taking the opportunity to detail a slate of new partnerships, that also included a new deal with Loot Crate, a home video partnership with Sentai Filmworks, and news of the return of Dr Stone to Crunchyroll.

Leading the announcements, the anime brand will once again partner with Adult Swim for the production of Shenmue. The new anime series will stream worldwide outside of Japan and mainland China on Crunchyroll and will air on Adult Swim’s Toonami in the US.

“The first Shenmue video game was released more than 20 years ago and we’re so excited to be working again with Adult Swim to bring this franchise to life through anime,” said Sarah Victor, head of development, Crunchyroll. “We’re eager to show our fans more of this action-packed adventure series as we move through production.”

Shenmue is an anime series with 13 episodes, following the journey of Ryo Hazuki. After he witnesses his father’s murder at the family dojo, Ryo dedicates his life to finding the man responsible – a mission that takes him from the streets of Yokosuka, Japan to the sprawling metropolis of Hong Kong, and beyond. Soon he’ll learn that larger, mystical forces are at play as he trains to become the ultimate martial artist in his quest for revenge.

“The world of Shenmue is fascinating and unique, and we are so excited to partner with Yu Suzuki to bring his epic creation to anime- and make a kick-ass martial arts epic,” said Jason DeMarco, svp/creative director on-air for Adult Swim.

Shenmue, a Crunchyroll and Adult Swim Production, is being directed by Sakurai Chikara (season two of One Punch Man, Naruto) with animation production by Telecom Animation Film, and production management provided by Sola Entertainment.

Video game creator Yu Suzuki is also onboard as an executive producer.

Meanwhile, Crunchyroll and Loot Crate revealed more details behind the partnership to bring fans more from their favourite anime series. Crunchyroll is curating two different crates with Loot Crate: the Crunchyroll Crate and the Limited Edition Mobile Suit Gundam Life Crate.

The monthly Crunchyroll crate will include items from a lineup of anime titles, including the upcoming Crunchyroll Original series Noblesse, alongside fan-favorites Mob Psycho 100, Welcome to Demon School Iruma-Kun, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, alongside the brand’s beloved mascot Crunchyroll-Hime.

Also detailed was Crunchyroll’s new home video and electronic sell-through partnership with Sentai Filmworks. The global supplier and distributor will handle four titles to kick off the partnership, including Food Wars! The Fourth Plate, Ascendance of a Bookworm, Granbelm, and World Trigger. These series will appear as a mix of subtitled and English-dubbed content.

“We are delighted to expand Crunchyroll’s partnership with Sentai, and look forward to working closely with them to bring even more anime to fans in the US and Canada,” said Alden Budill, head of global partnerships and content strategy, Crunchyroll.

“Since at least 2011, Sentai and Crunchyroll have collaborated to bring exciting content to anime fans in new and innovative ways,” added John Ledford, Sentai CEO. “Through this latest content partnership, Sentai is thrilled to empower fans to own their favorite Crunchyroll shows on select Blu-rays and our award-winning Premium Box Sets.”

Crunchyroll has a global community of more than 3 million subscribers and 70 million registered users that enjoy the world’s largest collection of anime, including more 1,000 titles and 30,000 episodes.

 

Anime specialist Crunchyroll hits 3 million streaming subscribers

The anime specialist, Crunchyroll has hit a new milestone of 3 million subscribers to its global streaming service, highlighting both the growing audience for the animation genre and the platform’s own accelerating growth.

The WarnerMedia-owned business was founded in 2006 and had reached one million streaming subscribers in 2016. By the end of 2018 it had reached the 2 million subscribers mark. Having started out as a San Francisco-based online forum for uploaded anime clips and message boards, it has grown to over 70 million registered users in 200 countries.

The platform now proposes to be the world’s largest anime library with more than 1,000 titles and 30,000 episodes. Last year, Crunchyroll found a new home under WarnerMedia as part of the entertainment giant’s launch plans for HBO Max and a hub of anime curated by Crunchyroll.

The anime platform also recently detailed a slate of summer licensing partnerships across a plethora of categories and series.

“We are excited to announce these new licensing partnerships that serve our fans with quality products based on the shows they are passionate about,” said John Leonhardt, head of consumer products.

Titles from across the Crunchyroll portfolio that will enjoy new licensing partnerships include Bananya, Black Clover, Food Wars, and Mobile Suit Gundam, which will see new apparel and accessory ranges launch via Bioworld and posters from Trends International; Given which has been granted to both Great Eastern and Bioworld for apparel and accessories; Welcome to Demon School! Iruma Kun, Haikyu, The Quintessential Quintuplets, Sarazanmai, and That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, which have each been granted to Great Eastern for apparel and accessories; and Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card, Dr Stone, Mob Psycho 100, and Yuri!!! on Ice, which were granted to Trends International for posters.

On top of this, The Junji Ito Cat Diary: Yon & Mu was granted to Ripple Junction for apparel and accessories, and Radiant was granted to Bioworld for apparel and accessories.

Other titles available for license include the new Crunchyroll Originals Tower of God, a dark fantasy action series, and The God of High School, a high-energy tournament competition series, both based on Webtoon comics of the same name, as well as Onyx Equinox, the story of a young Aztec boy fighting for humanity in Mesoamerica.

Crunchyroll currently manages all-rights for more than 350 anime titles, working with more than 100 global licensees to provide anime fans with the best lifestyle, fashion, and home goods products from their favourite series.

Crunchyroll also operates a direct to consumer retail destination, which recently launched a Godzilla streetwear collection with Toho International, Inc. through the in house streetwear brand Crunchyroll Loves. This DTC fan connection is further strengthened by Crunchyroll’s robust online community, with more than 40 million followers across social media.