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Rovio Entertainment Handling Licensing for Toonbox Title image

Rovio Entertainment Handling Licensing for Toonbox Title

Rovio Entertainment is negotiating to land a global master toy licensee for the “Kit ‘n Kate” pre-school animation series that’s expected to launch in the U.S. by 2018, Rovio’s Alex Lambeek tells us.

The deal would be the first since Rovio struck a partnership with the animated series creator Toonbox last fall under which the game developer serves as a master licensee for Kit ‘n Kate – two kittens that use their imagination to transform their room into blueberry island, a medieval castle and other locations.  A master toy licensee is expected to be in place within the next few months, says Lambeek. In the U.S., “Kit ‘n Kate” will air first on Rovio’s ToonsTV online service before expanding to other platforms, says Lambeek.  Rovio also is negotiating to take over management of Toonbox’s 5-6 licensees in Russia, where the series launched in 2014 and who were in place prior to the partnership being formed.

Rovio initially signed as the master publishing licensee for Kit ‘n Kate in March 2016 through its Kaiken Publishing group, the latter having recently been sold to newly formed Kaiken Entertainment.

“There is a lot of interest in the property and so far it is looking quite promising,” says Lambeek.

Toonbox has so far produced 42, five-minute episodes and expects to reach its target of 104 by August 2018, says Lambeek. As Toonbox continues production, Rovio is this year seeking consumer products licensees for the series in Scandanavia, Eastern Europe, Italy, France and Spain, markets where Kit ‘n Kate has aired via Rovio’s ToonsTV and other services.

Meanwhile, Rovio is weighing introducing a limited higher-end range of collectibles behind the North American release of “Angry Birds Evolution” mobile game in June, says Lambeek.

The game was soft-launched in Finland, Hong Kong and Poland last August. It’s being primed for the U.S. market where it will be aimed at a millennial audience, says Lambeek.

As result of Evolution targeting a slightly older audience, Rovio is considering introducing collectibles and other products featuring the game’s characters priced $50-$100, says Lambeek.

“We will test the waters with that and then potentially expand it,” says Lambeek. “If the new characters in Evolution do well in the game, we will look to expand beyond it.”

Rovio also has landed agreements with 15 licensees for Angry Birds in China through its partnership with Alibaba, which sells the products through its Tmall and other ecommerce sites, says Lambeek. It also has an agreement with play center operator Kidgoland International for Angry Birds. Kidgoland, which operates in shopping malls, will open “tens” of Angry Birds facilities in China during the next year, expanding to “hundreds” within 2-3 years, says Lambeek.

The new licensing agreements come as Rovio completes a reorganization. Rovio cut a “small number” of positions within its animation unit in Finland earlier this year just prior to the group’s sale to Kaiken Entertainment, which is headed by former Rovio CEO and founder, Mikael Hed.

Rovio also has opened a game development studio in London with a goal of having 20 employees there within a year to focus on non-Angry Birds games. The first games from the London Studio aren’t likely before 2019, says Lambeek.

Rovio Entertainment, Alex Lambeek, Chief Commercial Officer, +358 40 667 1984 , alex.lambeek@rovio.com

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