EA launched EA SPORTS Madden NFL 20 worldwide on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Origin for PC. Pigskin fans can feel like superstars this year with the introduction of Superstar X-Factors, unlocking the special abilities of today’s most elite NFL players, as well as a brand-new career campaign experience in Face of the Franchise: QB1 where players start as a college QB and continue their path to the NFL.
“There’s been a huge focus on quality, polish and most importantly fun in Madden NFL 20. We believe the new Superstar X-Factors really bring the biggest NFL stars to life and make them feel like the elite players they truly are, and we’re excited for fans to check out our new career campaign in Face of the Franchise: QB1. Together these features deliver new ways to play that our fans have been asking for and lay the groundwork for some really cool innovations in the future,”  said EA executive producer Seann Graddy.

The fun doesn’t stop there, as Madden NFL 20 also introduces new run-pass option (RPO) plays, new signature animations, playbooks and more. Fans of Madden Ultimate Team can also enjoy the introduction of missions, clear paths to new items and rewards that can help players build out dominant squads.

For those who like the thrill of competition, the Madden NFL 20 Championship Series returns as esports competitors around the world chase NFL gaming glory. The Madden NFL 20 Championship Series features a new-look format that enhances the connection to the sport as all four Madden NFL 20 Major tournaments occur during key NFL inflection points.

A new season of the mobile version of the game – Madden NFL Mobile – has kicked off as well, giving players the ability to achieve gridiron greatness anytime, anywhere with a robust new feature set including dynamic NFL seasons, competitive gameplay and new offensive schemes and abilities to build teams around. Madden NFL Mobile is available now for download on the App Store and Google Play.

Madden NFL 20 is developed in Orlando, Florida by EA Tiburon and is available now for Xbox One, PlayStation4 and Origin for PC.

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Among developers, producers, animators, VFX veterans, GAFX 2019 gave a special platform to a pantheon of artists, comic book aficionados and experts who expounded upon various aspects of the comic book scenario of the nation.

AnimationXpress caught up with the LinkedIn head of operations intelligence Kiriti Rambhatla to discuss the scope of Indian comic book scene, latest trends and revenue models that can sustain comic books in India. He gave an insightful presentation at Bengaluru GAFX 2019 that focused on the world of comics and beyond, outlining the history of its readership and subscription to the state of its current patterns of consumption in India.

Kiriti Rambhatla

Rambhatla is also a writer, graphic novelist and an actor whose work has appeared across television, novels and live-action feature films. 

Excerpts:

What are your thoughts on the current comic-book scene in India?

The current comic book scene in India is upbeat from a demand perspective. However, the supply of domestic content needs to focus on three things: local stories, local languages and distribution. Most of the Indian comic book scene in English reaches out to a tiny segment of the readers in metro cities. There needs to be a push on the distribution side to reach tier two and three cities as well.

Mighty Little Bheem

You drew interesting parallels between popular western superheroes and Indian mythological characters. Would you say that Indian mythological characters packaged as superheroes would make for equally successful IPS and find resonance?

If Chota Bheem is anything to go by in the kids’ segment – we have millions of characters from our own mythology that has found major success in television (Mahabharat of the 1980s) and big screen numerous blockbusters from South Indian film industries on Ramayan and Mahabharat). Even Bahaubali has its roots deeply ingrained in our mythology. So yes, if packaged really well – we can make world-class superhero content. However, we have a very poor IP structure which is turning out to be a hindrance.

There seems to be a considerable rush amongst Indian comic-book artists and animation sector of modelling their IP’s around a variety of Indian mythological characters. What are your thoughts on that?

We should encourage more of homegrown IP and promote it among venture capital/production studious to garner more awareness. It is good to have a wide variety of animation and comic book adaptations on these characters. The more awareness in the market, the better it is for the growth of the segment.

Indian comic books.

Despite a long and pedigreed history of comic books, India’s comic book scene seems to be dwindling over the years. Could you discuss as to why India’s comic book scene is not taking flight?  

We cannot bring all of Indian comics under one roof. Think of the same parallel between movies. Can you say Indian movies are just Hindi movies? South Indian movies from Telugu and Tamil industries make more movies and have collections and global reach at par with Hindi films. So when one says Indian films, we need to take all the languages into consideration. Similarly comics – we need to bring a structured approach to monitoring comics in all languages to understand the flaws and address them. Currently, work is centred in micro pockets which doesn’t analyze the macro picture well. That is the reason why Comic book publishers are unable to see the big picture. They need to take a leaf out of production houses which are making movies and dubbing them into regional languages to explore new markets.

How do you think could we go about promoting the comic-book scene? What sort of business model do we need to put in place to make it a viable and profitable occupation?

Many things across the value chain. We need to understand comic book production value chain and ensure we create content which is of international standards. Right from artwork to distribution. Think about how Marvel movies made in English are being dubbed into Hindi, Telugu and Tamil and making way to local theatres. Can comics also look at the same model and find their way to readers locally and internationally? We need a model that provides incentives to readers to engage with content. Unfortunately, due to dwindling print sales, publishers are struggling with exploring new models. Digital is a medium which is not explored to its full potential. Publishers need to focus on it for a sustainable business model. 

How do you think Digital Media is affecting the Comicbook scene in India?

It has barely scratched the surface. Especially legacy comic book publishers have not been able to catch on to the bandwagon of digital. It has the potential to disrupt the industry in a big way – the publishers need to come together to address it collectively.

How was your experience at GAFX 2019?

I was amazed at the scale of GAFX and when I heard the story from the founders on the journey – I was inspired. GAFX is the perfect launchpad for Comics segment in India to take off through their Centre of Excellence. More power to them.

Taskara

What inspired you to write comic books?

I was essentially exposed to a lot of comics as a child from vernacular Indian languages to mainstream American comics. As I grew, I was fascinated with building things. As I was hosting the talk show on television where I was scripting content for episodes – the idea behind making my own characters came. That’s how my first character was born which was then adapted to a live-action feature film screenplay too. 

Could you summarise the presentation you gave at GAFX?

The talk focuses on the history of Indian comics split into generations and what we can learn from the golden period of Indian comics like Chandamama and Amar Chitra Katha. Every business goes through a boom and bust cycle. What can we do now to ride the wave back to a boom in the sector is the crux of the talk.

What are your takeaways from GAFX 2019?

Platforms to bring everyone in the industry are essential for the growth of the sector. GAFX is doing exactly that. To be able to give direction to students in the industry and inspiring artists is a phenomenal thing. Key takeaways – educate the general public about the industry and how it can be a viable career option. That will lead to a vibrant ecosystem.

GAFX 2019 was a thrilling experience that allowed us to learn from distinguished and driven subject-matter experts and stalwarts like Rambhatla. We hope his insights invigorate the comicbook scenario in India. 

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Miniso India, the local arm of Japanese value retailer, has announced to launch Marvel collection starting with three of its stores in the country.

Delhi-NCR based stores including Connaught Place, Ambience Mall at Vasant Kunj and DLF Mall, Noida, will launch the collection beginning from 10 August. The collection features multiple Marvel superheroes in everyday products ranging over 10 categories.

Speaking of this announcement, Miniso India head Tyrone Li told Mint, “Marvel characters popularity transcends geographical boundaries and we feel Indian consumers will respond well to the collection. India is one of the fastest developing markets in the world and we want to leverage the growth here. After Delhi-NCR, we will take the Marvel collection to Mumbai and Kolkata.”

The Marvel themed collection includes sippers, car fresheners, hand towel, scent diffusers, travel gear, mugs, bags and stationary featuring characters such as Spider-Man, Captain America, Iron Man, Hulk, Captain Marvel, Thor and Black Widow. The company has already launched this collection globally in markets such as China, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Philippines, Myanmar and Sri Lanka.

Miniso co-founder and chief designer Miyake Junya added, “As a design focused brand, we are thrilled to be collaborating with Marvel which is one of the world’s biggest intellectual properties. Owing to our brand’s philosophy of making the feeling of luxury and quality products available to the masses, it is our pleasure to exclusively curate this line of merchandise that resonates with people of all races, ages and genders globally.”

Miniso has also started selling its products online through third party websites such as Amazon and Flipkart. The retailer entered India in 2017 and has become popular among value loving Indian consumers who are buying its low-cost products such as mobile phone accessories, stationery, perfumes and more. The brand said that its colour cosmetics, nail polish and perfumes are the highest selling products across stores in the country. On an expansion spree, Li said their target is to take their current 105 store count to 150 by the end of this year.

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It appears as if Spider-Man is going to get a kiss death in an upcoming issue of Marvel’s Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. Marvel sent new solicitation information about issues #11 and #12 of the Tom Taylor-written series to publishers, revealing that Spidey will be found dead in Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #12. “Spider-Man day has been and gone,” Taylor tweeted when the news broke on Friday. “So, now’s a good time to mention Spidey dies in our Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #12. ️🤟️Sorry!”

Spiderman

The solicitation text for the issues indicated that Spider-Man will have to solve his own murder. Perhaps that’s not the real Spider-Man who’s found dead then?

Spider-Man day has been and gone.
So, now’s a good time to mention Spidey dies in our Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #12. ️🤟️
Sorry!https://t.co/GjADwvc95M

— Tom Taylor (@TomTaylorMade) August 3, 2019

Another possibility is teased in the story teased for issue #11. Mary Jane Watson returns and the solicitation text suggests she’ll be rescuing Spider-Man and Aunt May. The cover, by Andrew Robinson, even has Mary Jane wearing the Spider-Man costume.

Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #11 goes on sale on August 28th. Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #12 goes on sale September 18th. The comicook is up for sales.

The post Spider-Man to bite the dust in the upcoming Marvel Comic appeared first on AnimationXpress.

Licensing and merchandising (L&M) has always been a crucial part of the growth and flourishing of IPs and brands across the globe. Though it started in India nearly three decades ago with Disney stepping in with a master franchisee, the sector has only grown over the years and the domestic IPs are presently hugely popular in the business. 

Anand Singh – Senior Director Cartoon Network Enterprises South Asia Turner International

Cartoon Network Enterprises (CNE), the merchandising and licensing arm within WarnerMedia, has been expanding in India with a healthy double-digit growth rate over the last few years. In India, CNE has strategic partnerships with various leading brands across categories like fashion, FMCG, stationary, toys and more.

CNE expands by growing categories and potential brand partnerships for a 360-degree fan engagement. It has engaged in strategic partnerships with popular characters like Batman, Scooby Doo, Ben10, Harry Potter, The Souled Store, POPxo Shop, Balenzia and many others. This has given a new dimension to the Indian audience with a sneak peek into the lives of their favourite toons.

In a recent chat with AnimationXpress, CNE South Asia for WarnerMedia senior director Anand Singh elaborates on Turner’s exclusive L&M policies, milestones, different markets and how classics always work wonders. He handles the L&M across the South Asia region which includes Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal besides India. Read on:

1. Can you elaborate on your licensing and merchandising policies for Turner in place?

We’ve L&M policies starting from kids animation up to movies. There are niche properties like Harry Potter which has a huge fan following in India and then we have DC which has even more fan following. Then there are characters which are on the channel, movies which we keep getting now and then, for an instance, Scooby Doo which is coming soon. We’re reviving old properties so it’s a very varied portfolio with multiple IPs which cut across age groups and demographics. 

2. How has it been for the animated IPs?

Besides kids animation, which is the main segment, there’s something that’s changing the entire landscape. We’ve have launched the classic ’90s animated shows that were running on CN. For young adults, the space was lacking products who are now in their 20s; so we’ve launched products for them which were originally kids IPs during that period but not anymore. They’ve evolved over the time and is quite popular in India. The nostalgia, the retro feeling is what we have to focus for the animated IPs. Besides that, classic portfolios like Looney Toons, Tom & Jerry also give a lot of scope to do things in that space. We’re also reviving WB (Warner Bros.) portfolios into films. There are three movies – one on Looney Toons, one with WB which is in works and the one I mentioned on Scooby Doo next year. 

3. How’s the business in India different than that from SAARC regions?

South Asia is interesting because few markets are still evolving unlike India which has become a little matured. So if you look at markets like Singapore, Hong Kong they’re much more evolved than the others, but still to reach the position of USA or Europe. USA and Europe are at the top, in terms of evolution of the business, ticket size, product portfolio and spread. South East Asia comes in the middle and India is following South East Asia. It’s a surprise that the business of some IPs are same in India and Singapore. Imagine the size of Singapore compared to our country! The business is evolving constantly here and in Pakistan, we have a team a separate channel for Cartoon Network. We’ve done great in Bangladesh with partners like Bata, Bengal Polymers, and similarly with Sri Lanka. We’re recently opening the Nepal market. So, those markets are small, evolving, but I see a lot of scope. There are a lot of white spaces which can be worked upon.

4. Anything in works with the Indian IPs, now that it has been quite some time since Roll No. 21? How has the business been for Roll No. 21? 

Roll No. 21 has been here for five to six years now. There are more IPs in works for which we’ll be coming up with something interesting. We’ve had a few successes with Roll No. 21 but we couldn’t make it like the Ben 10. However, we’ve done very well with it in terms of clip licensing, promotions with Colgate and multiple deals on the promotional side.

5. How does the consumption pattern differs in India in case of merchandising?

Honestly, in India there’s lot of piracy. The licensees tend to get aggressive in market in terms of price policy. So launching premium products become difficult. Also the India market is very cluttered. In India, the modern trade could not reach a state of maturity unlike USA. It jumped to e-commerce which is the easiest and the fastest mode now. But, it’s difficult to address the niches through e-commerce. All e-commerce are also not reaching more than 30 per cent of zip codes, which means there’s still 70 per cent to the market that’s not catered to. There’s so much that can be done there. The market is evolving and moving towards full fledged e-commerce which has helped us a lot in licensing.

6. How has the collaboration with noted names like The Souled Store benefitted you?

The Souled Store is a very digital savvy and it’s great to work with digital start-ups. They don’t go for old marketing techniques and have a hunger for growth. So they wanted to do things that are marketing friendly and digital focused. The Souled Store is one of those partners. Beside deals, we have a lot of collaborations with them like ‘The Powerpuff Girls Campaign’ which did very well for us. The traction we received for that was amazing. We’re planning for some different IPs as well.  The Souled Store is focused on new and innovative ideas, willing to put 100 per cent behind it.  

7. Have you achieved any milestone for the L&M policies?

‘The Powerpuff Girls’ was a great campaign for us. We’re so happy with it that we’re thinking of doing a Powerpuff Girl campaign every year, like an annual event. Even We Bare Bears has an universal appeal as they are are cool, contemporary and fun and all over social media. We’ve a deal with Miniso which has been doing extremely well for us. We’ve a couple of other deals also going and are consciously taking strategies to market We Bare Bears for young adults which has done amazingly in South east Asia and China.

8. How has the licensing policies helped the IPs to flourish further as a brand as people associate and relate with the merchandise? 

It’s about touch points. Earlier it was TV and now it’s digital. For any client or consumer, all the touch points they are interacting with any IP becomes crucial for the company. Be it on digital or an attractive merchandise in a mall, everything comes into place. This has a positive impact on the channel, the IP and the brand. More you see, more is the familiarity with the character, even if not the series.

9. What are your current or future plans to take this ahead in India? 

If you look at the properties we have, we’re going to obviously sustain our core business in India, which is kids. What we are planning to do now is, pivoting the business towards young adults. It’s an under utilised space and has a lot of scope to do things. The propensity to pay for young adults is much higher than kids. If you like a We Bare Bears merchandise, you can go and buy the plush. Harry Potter, Batman, Superman also have huge appeal to them. These IPs will never come and go but stay for as long as we can imagine. We are actually celebrating 80 years of Batman. So, it’s up to us how we mould the IPs as per the style guides.

10. Do you think movies have helped to garner a lot more eyeballs to merchandising of these characters – from comics to films to merchandise?

Absolutely. What movies have done. is that they’ve propped up the IPs and they keep it current. So, obviously, from the licensing perspective the window is smaller when you have a classic IP. There’s a peak before and after a movie releases, but they’re never out of fashion and never hits a low. 

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