Apr 03

Amid Covid19 outbreak: Online gaming platforms growth rate may surpass expected 2020 business mark

Posted in: Animation

Amidst nationwide lockdown due to the threat of Covid19, folks around the world are spending most of their time inside homes playing video games in order to deal with the boredom induced by the curfew.Given the scenario, online gaming companies in India witnessed a rise in the number of users flooding their platforms along with a surge in the number of hours Indian users spend playing games online.

As the screen time is going through the roof, online gaming industry is witnessing accelerated growth across the globe. Especially platforms which are having a variety of gaming options have seen an upward trend.

For example, WinZO  which is a vernacular social gaming platform hosting multiple games has witnessed a spike of 30 per cent in tier-1 traffic during the earlier days. WinZO was previously a T2-T5 focused product (with 12 regional languages on its platform) whereas currently they are organically attracting players from T1 India despite the fact that product has not been marketed to the audiences this way.  Notably, there are substantial amounts of users coming from Hindi speaking belt (UP, Bihar, MP, Delhi, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh)

Here are the growth statistics that WinZo have released on their platform (half month through lockdown) so far:

  • The game plays by women on the platform has grown 1.5x especially for games like candy crush and cooking competition games.
  • Activity on the social features of the app such as video and audio usage during gameplay has also doubled.
  • Similarly, Vs-Mode on our app has observed a 35 per cent spike considering people are playing with their friends online amid the lockdown.
  • Multiplayer games like- Carrom, Ludo, and Battle Royal, where people are playing these games in private modes (Vs-Mode, private tournaments) with their friends and family online- the game play between friends has gone up by 2 times, earlier people played with strangers more- to find and connect with more people outside their circles.
  • We have observed a surge in casual games like- Bubble Shooter, Knife Up, Subway Surfer on a platform especially as female audiences (1.5x) are picking on games.
  • Our 60 per cent TG is 18 to 25, mostly males. However, amid the lockdown, an increase in users from the age group of 25 to 35 is noticed with a marginal increase of female traffic as well.
  • Now the audience are piercing from the deeper parts of India playing from low-end devices and  20 per  cent making their first digital media and entertainment payment on WinZO.

Pocket League’s co-founder Karan Khairajani

Due to the nationwide lockdown, people have more time on their hands and they are quenching their thrill with a variety of gaming content which has led gaming platforms grow by leaps and bounds over the past week. Hyper casual gaming platform Pocket League has also “seen an uptick in the number of organic installs and also the average time spent per day in our app. An interesting thing on Pocket League that we have seen over the past two weeks is that each player is trying out almost all the games on the platform (we currently have seven games),” said Firescore Interactive co-founder and Pocket League’s co-founder Karan Khairajani.

Multiple games with diversity of content is attracting more users as players are spoilt for choice. Not only that, the nationwide lockdown has witnessed an increase in hours spent by users as  Khairajani said, “Generally we see that the majority of activity is happening post office hours, but nowadays, all contests are getting filled up throughout the whole day. From a user acquisition perspective, we are seeing lower CPIs as well.”

Other platforms like Paytm First Games, 9stacks, Adda52 and Hello Play have witnessed an uptick in downloads reportedly even during lockdown . FICCI EY report for the M&E sector suggests that the online gaming segment grew 40 per cent in 2019 to reach Rs. 65 billion and is expected to reach Rs187 billion by 2022 at a CAGR of 43 per cent but the nationwide lockdown seems will push to achieve the expected numbers earlier.

 

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Apr 03

NEWS: Daniel Savage is taking over our Instagram for 72 hours! Saturday – Monday!

Posted in: Animation
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Apr 02

Mattel launches free online playroom to entertain kids during covid-19 lockdown

Posted in: Animation

Mattel is launching an online hub with information, resources and games to help kids deal with Covid-19, while tapping into the stuck-at-home audience. Mattel Playroom is a new, online resource that features activities and content from across the company’s portfolio of brands, designed to encourage kids to keep playing while handling school closures, social distancing and self isolation measures.

American Girl, Barbie, Fisher-Price, Hot Wheels, and Thomas & Friends all feature in content delivered across the new platform that includes play-from-home information and tips for parents and caregivers.

The Mattel Playroom will be updated weekly. At launch, the resource gives parents and caregivers easy access to content from Mattel brands including printable colouring pages and activities, free and ready-to-play games, crafting and DIY projects, animated, stop-motion and live-action videos and downloadable apps. It will also feature learning-at-home tips in partnership with The Toy Association and insights from Mattel’s play experts.

Rhode Island’s Hasbro also unveiled its new Bring Home the Fun website Monday, which features tips for family playtime, ideas for games and toys, and suggestions on how to cope with increased stress. The site includes craft projects involving Play-Doh, NERF blaster activities, and clips from the Transformers, Power Rangers and My Little Pony series.

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Apr 02

Plarium unveils casual adventure game ‘Undersea Solitaire Tripeaks’ for mobile

Posted in: Animation

Plarium, has announced that the launch of its latest genre-defining casual adventure title, Undersea Solitaire Tripeaks, on Android and iOS. This story-driven game has Solitaire Tripeaks, narrative blended with item collection and town-designing features.

The game takes place in the typically idyllic undersea town of Rocky Bottom which has been blown to pieces by a nasty whirlpool. Players must earn gems through their sweet solitaire skills to help Alfred the Crab and his fishy friends rebuild the town and make it bigger than ever before! Along the journey, players will uncover ancient artifacts, host fashion shows, welcome new residents, solve crimes, and much more.

 Plarium game producer Oleg Yakovlev says, “Plarium has been developing narrative-driven games in the strategy and RPG genres for many years, and we see strong demand from our casual audiences for the same type of experience. This is why we focused on building the first game to blend Solitaire mechanics, a narrative-driven metagame, and town customization gameplay to give players a new challenge, unlike anything they have seen before in this genre!”

Undersea Solitaire Tripeaks features 30+ animated 3D characters and over 2000 intricately designed levels with a variety of gameplay mechanics to keep players engaged and entertained. Key gameplay elements include:

  • The most ‘blockers’ and ‘boosters’ of any solitaire game: Undersea Solitaire Tripeaks has 15+ unique blockers and 6 boosters to offer players endless challenges.

  • 600+ exciting story quests: Players will work alongside a diverse cast of characters to help grow Rocky Bottom into a bustling place with a circus, amphitheater, theme park, and more.

  • Epic Challenges Every Day of the Week: Undersea Solitaire Tripeaks features a host of special Solitaire events, daily missions, and much more.

  • Thousands of town customization options: Players can rebuild Rocky Bottom just the way they want.

Undersea Solitaire Tripeaks is now available for users worldwide in English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Spanish, Turkish, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, and Portuguese and can be accessed through the App Store and Google Play.

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Apr 02

ACT Fibernet introduces ‘CS:GO’ online gaming tournament for their internet users

Posted in: Animation

Internet Services Providers (ISPs), ACT Fibernet, has announced a Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournament. The initiative is undertaken as part of the company’s ‘Advantage Gaming’ strategy, in partnership with an Indian event organiser The Esports Club.

As part of ACT’s brand promise of feeling the advantage, ACT had called out ‘advantage gaming’ as a key pillar last year. Since then, ACT has announced a strategic partnership with Wargaming and helped launch their World of Warships title in India. ACT had also launched its gaming packs, with added benefits for gamers such as in-game rewards, 300 Mbps speed boosts, additional data, and partner benefits.

The ACT Fibernet Community CS:GO tournament is scheduled  a series of daily tournaments that will be hosted 100 per cent online where everyone can participate from their respective homes. Gamers will compete 1-on-1 in daily matches and make their way up to the finals. The final 16 matches of each day will be broadcasted on ACT’s social media pages.

Speaking on the launch of the tournament, ACT Fibernet lead – marketing, innovation, and customer experience Ravi Karthik said, “We see a huge interest and traction amongst our customers for online gaming. ACT Fibernet is the leading ISP for gaming, providing high speeds, low latency, and negligible packet losses. We have been consistently topping the Steam charts for gaming traffic in India, which is a testament to customers recognizing ACT as the preferred network for gaming.Through this unique initiative as part of ‘Advantage Gaming’, we aim to connect with gamers on our platform and provide them an opportunity to showcase their skills. This is one of many initiatives planned for gamers on our network.”

The tournament will take place online from 3 April to 12 April. The players will be locking horns for an attractive prize pool of Rs 6000 daily, to be divided among the top three winners. Additionally, the top 10 participants daily will receive a complimentary one-Month Gaming Packs. The details of the winners will be announced at the end of the day on ACT’s social media pages.

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Apr 02

Eros Now and BSNL extend existing partnership

Posted in: Animation

Eros Now has announced to have further expanded its existing partnership with telecommunications company Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL), with a core focus of entertainment on demand consumption in Tier II and Tier III markets of India.

Currently available with prepaid recharge packs offered by BSNL, Eros Now will launch three new BSNL special tariff voucher plans that will provide consumers access to a wide variety of online content. This bundled subscription vouchers further strengthens Eros Now’s reach through BSNL’s wide customer base.

These subscription vouchers are both affordable and convenient as consumers can save on subscribing to video streaming platforms without compromising on the entertainment portfolio offered by Eros Now.

Ali Hussein

Commenting on this extension, Eros Now CEO Ali Hussein said, “India’s rural market is increasingly exploring entertainment options on the go. BSNL is one of the strongest telecom players in India and offering Eros Now’s entertaining content library to the customers is a step further in fulfilling audiences’ growing appetite for OTT. These numerous special tariff packs attract different customers who have varied choices and expand our reach by connecting with the heartland of India.”

Along with its customer base, BSNL offers varied choices of the best tariff pack, and this partnership with Eros Now, enables the telecom company to provide access to online entertainment. Eros Now is bundled for 24 days on the prepaid recharge pack of Rs 98, while the value of Rs 298 has Eros Now for 54 days and another pack of Rs 1,999 for 60 days that customers can choose from.

Through these prepaid recharge packs, consumers can access Eros Now’s massive content catalogue including 12,000+ movie titles, original shows, music videos, short-format content – Eros Now Quickies and much more.

BSNL director (CM) Sushil Kumar Mishra added, “Entertainment has been one of the key drivers to attain greater reach in the telecommunication industry in recent times; the trend will only grow in the years to come. We at BSNL always strive to provide customers with unparalleled services at an affordable price. The three-pack subscription vouchers offering Eros Now content allows the audience to explore the best of online video streaming service and its huge content library of entertainment.”

As the recently-published Ovum-Amdocs report suggests, almost 50 per cent of mobile users are willing to pay for a premium OTT service via their carrier bill if offered at a discounted rate or with an extended free trial. These opportunities benefit both cellular telecom players as well as OTT platforms that generate a meaningful amount of subscription revenue through bundled offers.

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Apr 02

ALTBalaji inks deal with Amazon Pay and Paytm for cashback offers

Posted in: Animation

Given the spike in content consumption during the COVID-19 disruption period, along with viewers’ preference for convenient online payment experiences, ALTBalaji has partnered with popular payment gateways Amazon Pay and Paytm to provide cashback offers.

As part of the deal, Amazon Pay will offer 25 per cent cashback on ALTBalaji subscription whereas Paytm will offer a flat Rs. 20 cashback on the subscription. These offers are available for Android users in India. Through  these gateways, customers can enjoy quick and easy checkouts with faster cashback.

To avail the offer via Amazon Pay, customers can go to the ALTBalaji website or Android app, select the plan of their choice and make the payment using Amazon Pay as the payment option. In this deal, one can earn a cashback up to Rs 100 once per user, during the offer period – from 1 April to 30 April 2020.  The cashback will be immediately credited on Amazon Pay after completing the payment. 

On the other hand, Paytm’s flat Rs 20 cashback on the first Paytm wallet transaction is valid now till 7.59 pm on 7 April 2020. This offer too can be availed once per user and the cashback will be credited to Paytm wallet within 24 hours of completion of the transaction Also, the offer is applicable only on making payment on the ALTBalaji website or app by paying the entire amount using one’s Paytm Wallet.

Nachiket Pantvaidya

Commenting on this deal, Balaji Telefilms Group COO and ALTBalaji CEO Nachiket Pantvaidya said, “Our collaboration with Amazon Pay and Paytm is a step towards strengthening our relationship during these testing times with the consumers. Amazon Pay and Paytm are two of the most preferred gateways for digital audiences across the country. Through this partnership, ALTBalaji’s extensive library of homegrown, original premium content will now be even more accessible and affordable to a wider and newer set of audiences.”

With this ALTBalaji subscription, consumers can enjoy 60 original shows, along with its iconic TV shows that have been appreciated by audiences.

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Apr 02

A close look at Asus Rog’s 2020 spring line-up

Posted in: Animation

The one industry that has remained almost unscatched amid the Coronavirus shutdown is Gaming industry. It has been emerging by the day and technology companies haven’t forgotten to tap into this booming market.

ROG

ASUS is one such tech-giant that has been proactive in providing solutions to the gaming community with all its technical prowess. Its gaming arm, Republic of Gamers recently announced its updated gaming laptops for 2020. Apart from that even this year’s models have had some critical upgrades, facilitating gamers and content creators alike. Asus was also one of the firsts to partner up with gaming giants like Tencent to smoothen the processes of their ROG gaming phones.

ROG addressed a problem that has long afflicted folks in the gaming sector by redesigning and streamlining upgrades.  The upcoming laptops entail new additions into all the of Asus gaming laptops like the ROG Zephyrus, ROG Strix and TUF series. Also, the company also announced the ROG Zephyrus Duo 15, the company’s first gaming laptop with two screens.

Asus ROG Zephyr

All the forthcoming gaming laptops in the 2020 will come loaded with Pantone-validated display panels and will come powered by 10th Generation Intel processors. They are also Wi-Fi 6 certified. In addition to that, Asus claims that they will also have a longer battery life, with approximately 20-30% increase in battery backup.

Here is a detailed look at what all gaming laptops are going to be launched by Asus soon :-

ROG Zephyrus S15

The new Zephyrus S15 gets a more traditional keyboard and mouse layout that works better in tight quarters and on laps. As with Zephyrus S17, augmented AAS coupled with CPU-cooling liquid metal thermal compound pre-applied at the factory allows the S15 to offer configurations topping out with the RTX 2080 SUPER GPU. The S15 is rigged with a 300Hz panel with a 3 ms response time.

The compact chassis includes space for dual M.2 SSDs that can be configured in a blazing-fast RAID 0 array, as well as a Thunderbolt 3 port for professional speed over USB-C.

ROG Zephyrus S17

The new Zephyrus S17 offers a 17.3-inch display with a 300 Hz refresh rate and 3 ms grey-to-grey response time. Performance is looked after by an RTX 2080 SUPER GPU and a 10th Gen Intel Core i7 CPU. The AAS cooling solution opens a large intake vent beneath the system when the lid is raised.

ROG Zephyrus M15

The ROG Zephyrus M15 is directed towards those who look for value and performance, with a range of configurations that make it an easy choice for a wide audience. Display options including 240Hz and 144Hz FHD panels and a 4K UHD display let users pick the screen that best fits their needs. GPU options range from the affordable yet capable GeForce GTX 1660 Ti up to the RTX 2070 GPU. The Zephyrus M15 is powered by a 10th Gen Intel Core i7 processor.

ROG Strix SCAR 15/17

The ROG Strix SCAR 17 offers a 300Hz IPS-level panel in two different sizes. With an Intel processor up to the latest Core i9-10980-HK and up to the RTX 2080 SUPER GPU, Strix SCAR 17 makes use of 32GB of 3200MHz DDR4 RAM to handle most games with ease.

The SCAR series also gets customisable RGB LED lighting effects. A wraparound light bar underneath the front and side edges of the chassis casts a wide glow and complements the keyboard backlighting and illuminated RGB logo on the laptop’s lid, all of which can be customized and coordinated with ROG Aura Sync.

Strix SCAR 15/17 also features the ROG Keystone II, a small NFC-enabled device that docks into the side of the chassis. It can be customised to launch the Armoury Crate game library, a specific operating mode, or any game or app when inserted. The Keystone II can also provide access to a secret, encrypted Shadow Drive (exclusive to Windows 10 Pro) and trigger a stealth mode that mutes audio and minimises all apps when removed.

The ROG Strix SCAR 15 gets a 15.6-inch display offers the same tournament-grade 300Hz refresh rate with an undeniable Strix SCAR look. It is powered by up to a 10th Gen Core i9 CPU and up to the RTX 2070 SUPER GPU.

ROG Strix G15/17

Both Strix G15 and Strix G17 are powered by 10th Gen Intel processors up to a Core i7. GPU options range up to the RTX 2070 SUPER GPU and drive high-refresh-rate displays tailored to today’s most popular esports titles. Strix G17 and Strix G15 have 144 Hz displays as standard, but both are also available with an even faster 240 Hz panel.

We are excited about the lineup and we shall keep you posted on developments.

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Apr 02

Gamerji experiences more than 80 per cent increase in users amid COVID-19 lockdown in the country

Posted in: Animation

Gamerji is an indigenous, online esports tournament platform which conducts virtual tournaments for different popular esports titles like PUBG Mobile, Call of Duty Mobile and Clash Royale. The whole phenomenon came into existence from the gap that the founders identified in the market that most of the esports tournaments conducted

Gamerji co-founder Soham Thacker

globally are mainly focused on the pro-level gamers.

Founded by Soham Thacker and Varun Gajjar, the platform raised a funding of of $400K from La Gajjar Group, an investment group based in Ahmedabad.

While plans of myriad industries have been deterred owing to the lockdown, online gaming has been booming since people are in their houses. The story of Gamerji is no different.

Says Thacker, “User flow and tournament joinings have increased since last one week and specially since the last couple of days as the offices, schools and public places are closed. People are looking for online modes of entertainment and playing video games is certainly one of them.”

Supporting this fact is the recent report by BARC and Nielsen.

Nationwide shutdown has led to Indians spending more time on their mobile devices as per the recent data released by viewership measurement BARC India and global measurement data analytics company Nielson.

Week one itself has seen the figures shoot up with time spent on gaming clocking 11 per cent to 169 minutes per user as per the report that was released over video conferencing by Sunil Lulla, CEO, BARC India, and Dolly Jha, country leader, Nielsen Global Media, South Asia recently. Overall, the time spent on smartphones per user has gone up by 6.2 per cent, a jump of 1.5 hours.

“We (on Gamerji) gain an average of 43k new users a month. In the last 14 days we have had more than 72k new signups. We have increased more than 10 tournaments everyday and even our revenue has grown by 57 per cent.”


Amidst high demand, the platform has also upped the ante by hosting free solo tournaments everyday for gamers to participate and win cash prizes. It seems to be an effort by the platform to increase user engagement and bring more offerings to its consumers at this time of lockdown. Instead of developing new features, the team is focusing on hosting a higher number of tournaments per day.

Concludes Thacker, “Gamerji staff is currently working from home and coordinating using technology. Along with this, all the staff members have been given necessary equipment such as masks, gloves and sanitizers to keep themselves safe during these tough times.”

According to the aforementioned report, smartphone users are spending more time on OTT, social networking and gaming. While 15-24 years and 25-34 year age group users have increased their screen time by 7 per cent and 3 per cent, it’s the 35-44 year age group, who have started spending 11 per cent more time on their mobile screens.

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Apr 02

Remembering the classic animated ‘Ramayana’

Posted in: Animation

It’s been over two decades and the 1992 animated Ramayana still remains the best movie rendition of the original epic. The long-running-live action adaptation of Ramayana which aired on Doordarshan was the only translation of the epic for a long time. Years passed, but the show still finds a special place in every Indian’s heart. And now Mahabharata and Ramayana are back again, to make the covid-19 lockdown bearable.

But, in 1992, an animated masterpiece came out for the world. The film was titled, Ramayana: The Legend of Prince Rama, with elaborate costumes, action sequences, adventures and lot more but in an animated avatar. The classic was retold by Japanese animation master Yugo Sako, and Indian animator Ram Mohan, giving the epic a magical touch. With a style similar to Studio Gibhli, the animation surely carved a place in our hearts.

While talking to AnimationXpress the assistant producer of the film Kenji Yoshi said, “Japan is working on a 4K digital version of Ramayana: The Legend of Prince Rama and re-release the film. If this film gets successful, it may lead to more projects between India and Japan. The subject, Ramayana is immemorial and re-releasing it will just add to the magic it already has.”

Yoshi also mentioned how the referencing for the characters happened. The initial illustrations and character sketches were done by Patwardhan from Pune, which were later sent to Japan and the Japanese animators worked on the provided blueprints of the characters.

Ramayana: The Legend of Prince Rama animation supervisor Ishiguro expressed the feeling he had while working with Mohan. “Mohan was a down to earth person. He had no ego. And he thought of this project as a learning experience, we were impressed and everyone was eager to work with him.”

Though the movie was created keeping in mind the younger audience, the elaborate themes, smart screenplay and witty animation piques the attention of adults too, making it a hit on channels like POGO or Cartoon Network, where it was broadcasted. Looking at the charming Lord Rama enact battle scenes, making use of magical weapons, superhuman creatures and apt landscapes, made everyone believe that justice was given to Valmiki’s original tale.

The animation technique helped parents to make their kids understand the rich culture of India and impart values and traditions into them. With a voice cast which included Namrata Sawhney, Amrish Puri, and Shatrughan Sinha, even those who were never aware about the real story, were now exposed to the epic.

Produced by Yugo Sako and directed by Sako, Ram Mohan and Koichi Saski, Ramayana: The Legend of Prince Rama will always be a cherished classic animation. On this Ram Navami, lets pay tribute to the victorious lord Ram!

We just wish to see this animated version on the big screen. And for now, can this generation get to watch it on the television channels again?

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