#franchise management strategies

[champstorymedia]

Starting a Franchise: Tips and Tricks for Success in the Business World

Introduction Starting a franchise can be a lucrative opportunity for entrepreneurs looking to tap into established brands and proven business models. However, navigating the world of franchising requires careful planning and strategic decision-making. In this article, we will delve into key tips and tricks to help you succeed in the competitive business world of franchising. Choosing the Right…

[updatewave07]

Strategies to Increase CPM Rates on YouTube

[theabstruseone]

Okay, so to explain why this is absolutely hilarious: Victoria 3 is a Paradox Interactive grand strategy game vaguely similar to Crusader Kings but instead of medieval dynastic politics, the gameplay in Victoria is based on economic management. This is the third in the series for this franchise and just released recently.

And players are complaining because Capitalism can't compete with Communism.

Because it seems that under Capitalism, all the money goes to the Capitalists while the Workers don't get paid enough so have little buying power to stimulate the economy. Meanwhile in Communism, worker communes ensure that the workers are well-paid, giving them much more buying power which translates into a faster-growing economy and a much higher standard of living.

And rather than take the message, players are complaining that Communism is unrealistically overpowered.

[astroboyart]

Astro Boy Reboot not dead yet; new visual unveiled at 2024 edition of Annecy International Animation Film Festival

Sources: TF1 Pro (English Google Translation), Mediawan Kids & Family (X)

Announced on June 11, 2024 at the Annecy Festival in France, Astro Boy Reboot has surfaced once again with a new visual.

This version of Astro Boy Reboot will be co-produced by Method Animation (Mediawan Kids & Family) and Shibuya Productions. No release date was given.

TFOU, a youth based TV channel in France, signed an agreement with Method Animation/Mediawan Kids & Family to develop this new version of Astro Boy Reboot which will be geared towards the 6-10 year old crowd.

It will have 26 episodes which will each last 22 minutes.

A pitch for the show was posted:

Atom is 9 years old, he plays soccer, has his small group of friends at school, bickers with his little sister Uran, and dreams of telling his friend Silica that he is in love with her. But Atom is no ordinary boy. He is a 9-year-old ultra-advanced robot and the only android capable of feeling real emotions! He hides his true nature to live like a normal child. But when supervillains threaten the coexistence between humans and robots, he must act, because he dreams of a world where everyone lives in harmony. Secretly, he transforms into a superhero to protect Metro City. To all the locals, he is Astroboy! But can Astroboy save the city without revealing its secret and thus preserve his complicity with the marvelous Silica?

A couple major figures for Astro Boy Reboot also commented on Astro Boy Reboot:

Yann Labasque, director of youth programs at TF1. "Welcome Astro Boy to the TFOU family! We are delighted to launch the development of this new animated series with Mediawan Kids & Family," rejoices Yann Labasque , director of youth programs at TF1. "A series rich in promises of action and adventure, but also of emotions through the eyes of this little robot boy with a human heart who will have to find his place in a divided society and the solutions within him. Themes with great stories to tell and great values ​​to convey.

Katell France, General Manager and Content Director of Method Animation. "We are very happy to be able to develop the reboot of Astroboy, an iconic character created by Osamu Tezuka, with our historic partner TF1 who has supported us for many years on the Miraculous franchise with the success that we have known. Astroboy is a legendary character whose values ​​such as the cohabitation of technology and nature, tolerance and friendship, perfectly embody those that we defend at Mediawan Kids & Family. This series responds to our strategy of creating a great franchise for young people and families. We look forward to bringing Astroboy back to life through this reboot, and new stories in which all children today will recognize themselves."

[project-sekai-facts]

is it me or does prsk not really cater towards hardcore yuribait or yaoibait as much even when given the opportunity especially compared to other gacha games, like even the wedding events neither of them was focused on a popular pairing or even just in general with the stories (except for minoharu and vbs i guess?)

Yuribait and yaoibait are strong words that aren't exactly right to describe project sekai. They're just alternative ways of saying queerbait, which implies a marketing strategy of attracting a queer audience by falsely promising representation. While they didn't advertise queer representation, spn and sherlock were accused of this due to the way they wrote their leads (i guess spn did become genuine rep. Ish). Proseka isn't that, neither are similar franchises, like bandori or love live for example. Even if they rarely say things outright, which admittedly is in part because of corporate greed and appeasing fans, I wouldn't say it's queerbaiting, especially for this game and the two I've outlined (well LL has a complicated history but this isn't the time or place). The whole idea of falsely promising queer rep or marketing off it doesn't really happen here, especially in project sekai it feels very genuine and clear even if not labelled. I put this down to the writers saying on record that they want the characters, and their relationships and issues, to feel realistic and relatable.

To actually answer the question now my little media ramble is over, yeah it does feel less compared to other games, especially bandori which gives content to multiple pairings for the same characters. Like don't get me wrong prsk has quite a lot of ship tease when you really get down to it and track through all the stories, but it definitely feels limited to only a handful of pairings. While prsk does give moments for multiple pairings for the same character sometimes it's just... less ig. Again i think it's just to do with the intentionally realistic way of portraying the relationships, so imo it makes sense that they only pick a hanful to give much more obvious or outright romantic subtext to (aka mmj/vbs), even if they still give little moments here and there for other pairings for those characters, as well as giving less-fleshed out or explicitly romantic shiptease for other pairings that don't include those characters (does this make sense? it's hard to talk about shiptease in the game without explicitly talking about shipping. oh well...).

(Also as an aside: mmj is also a bit of a genre thing, and a lot of a Love Live thing. I'm not reaching by saying that either, it showed up on the results to a survey about media the staff at colopale like. mmj does take a few cues from LL here and there, (rooftop practice, genki orange leader, the white feather, airis character design and voice actress) so this is probably one of them)

Even though the wedding events don't usually focus on a ship (aside from the Honami/Kanade one (for context it's honami's most popular ship at least on pixiv, although it's still on the rarer side of things, and it's not that popular in terms of Kanade pairings)), they have always featured popular ships on the card lineups, aside from the most recent one. the first one had cards for the two most popular Akito pairings, and the second one had An/Kohane and Shizuku/Airi. The second one is particularly notable since the event didn't go lightly on the ship tease at all in some parts, though it makes sense since both pairings have romantic text and/or subtext in the story. Even the first wedding event had a tiny bit in one of the card stories, and this year's one managed to squeeze in a scene where Minori imagines Haruka getting married (presumably to her).

We also had the buddy funny spend time event back in 2021, which was explicitly a double date event featuring an/kohane and minori/haruka (again two pairs with romantic text), and we've had other events that follow a sort of similar concept of two popular pairings doing something together, without the double date thing attached, but you can tell what they were thinking lol. I don't really wanna elaborate on that bc I don't wanna start a whole thing but if you look through the event list you can probably work it out.

But then again, this is the Hatsune Miku friendship game. Friendship and community are two of the core themes of the game, which again explains why it might feel like there's less romantic teasing and such compared to other games. Because there is. The events and other stories prioritise writing the platonic relationships over giving ship tease. There's definitely events that you can come out of with little to no moments for the ships you like. This isn't saying that other idol games don't focus on the friendship by the way, I'm just saying prsk has much stronger and consistent themes. From an objective perspective it has the best writing of the major idol games on the market (maybe, idk what's going on in bandori nowadays I've heard MyGO and Avemuji are really good).

Yeah it's the hatsune miku friendship game which prioritises realistic characters and relationships that's about the best way I can put it.

(aside #2: back to the idea of queer content, while they don't write the game, sega is pro-lgbt and is a sponsor of tokyo pride, and offer protections for queer staff. Other sega franchises like Yakuza and Sonic have queer characters! And mizuki is about 5 events away from coming out as trans unless they fumble super badly. So it's a nonzero chance that prsk can and will include textual queer rep in future (i mean they already have lol). It genuinely is down to the realism other fan appeal. Again this isn't to hate on other franchises I'm a huge fan of LL and a casual bandori enjoyer, prsk is just Like This)

[aeonmagnus]

https://newsroom.hasbro.com/news-releases/news-release-details/hasbro-announces-til-all-are-one-transformers-40th-anniversary

40 YEARS. ONE LEGACY.

Relive the Magic of the 1984 Animated Series Featuring an Exclusive Behind-the-Scenes Table Read with Peter Cullen, Frank Welker and Other Original TRANSFORMERS Voice Actors – Only in Theaters Starting May 15

PAWTUCKET, RI — April 3, 2024 — Hasbro Inc., a leading toy and game company, announced today a special cinema experience to celebrate four decades of the TRANSFORMERS franchise with ‘TIL ALL ARE ONE: TRANSFORMERS 40th ANNIVERSARY EVENT. Honoring the brand’s legacy in bringing continuous action and adventure to fans of all ages, the theatrical event will provide limited screenings of episodes from the classic 1984 animated series “THE TRANSFORMERS.” Screenings will be available in select cinemas across the US, UK and Mexico, along with select territories in Europe, Latin America and Asia starting on Wednesday, May 15. Tickets for the TRANSFORMERS 40th Anniversary Event will go on sale at Transformers40thCinemaEvent.com on Wednesday, April 10 at 9.30am Local Time.

This special cinema experience will take fans back to the very beginning as some of the TRANSFORMERS original voice-over talent, including Peter Cullen (original voice of Optimus Prime) and Frank Welker (original voice of Megatron), team up for the first time in decades to revisit their characters and recreate the enduring magic of the classic 1984 animated series. An exclusive behind-the-scenes table read appears on a split screen for the pilot episode, More Than Meets the Eye, Part 1, followed by a traditional screening of the next three episodes of the series. Fans can experience the original Saturday morning cartoon on the big screen and get a glimpse of its evolution with a sneak peek of the new season of the original animated kids’ series TRANSFORMERS: EARTHSPARK. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to celebrate 40 years of TRANSFORMERS action, humor and legacy at an anniversary event that is truly... More Than Meets the Eye!

“For decades, the battle between the Autobots and Decepticons has come to life in movies, comic books, innovative toys, live experiences and digital media, elevating the TRANSFORMERS brand to a global powerhouse franchise with millions of fans around the world. To celebrate 40 years, we’re bringing fans back to where it all started,” said Alyse D’Antuono, Vice President, Global Franchise Strategy & Management, Action Brands at Hasbro. “THE TRANSFORMERS animated series captured the imagination of fans of all ages when it premiered in 1984, introducing a timeless battle between good and evil fueled by action and adventure. Ask any longtime fan, and they can probably tell you where they were when they first heard Optimus Prime’s iconic phrase ‘Autobots, roll out’ or what it felt like when they first converted a bot character into its alt mode. With exclusive content featuring the series’ original voice actors, this theatrical event is truly for our fans and invites audiences to experience the fun that started it all.”

Distributed by Trafalgar Releasing, the global leader in Event Cinema distribution, this is the second time the company has partnered with Hasbro, Inc., following Peppa’s Cinema Party that screened in cinemas worldwide in February 2024.

For the latest information on the TRANSFORMERS franchise, including toys and entertainment, follow @TRANSFORMERSOfficial on Instagram, @TransformersOfficial on Threads, @TRANSFORMERS on Facebook and @TRANSFORMERSOfficial on TikTok #40yearsonelegacy.

[weirdmarioenemies]

Name: Fish Bone

Debut: Super Mario World

Fish Bones are—hey! We’ve already talked about you, and very recently at that! We love you, Fish Bone, but it’s time to stop hogging the spotlight!

Name: Fishbone

Debut: Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards

There we go!

It’s that funky fresh time of year where all the strange Mario creatures retract into their holes to make way for other, stranger beasts, and boy is Fishbone strange!

Fishbones are the reanimated skeletons of dead fish, and golly, what a great skeleton to have! Just three boomerang-shaped bones and two hollow eye sockets. No spine, no discernable jaws of any kind, just pure, abject salminimalism! I bet you wouldn’t even know these were bones if I didn’t tell you, and yet they still manage to evoke a fish skeleton so well!

But whose skeletons ARE they? While we don’t have any direct confirmation, it feels pretty likely to me that we have the skeletons of dear old Floppers on our hands! There’s a common fish enemy in most Kirby games called Blippers, but Blippers are entirely absent from Kirby 64, and Floppers are a lot thinner and pointier than them anyhow!

But even with that in mind…wow! This still only barely looks like it could be in a Flopper. Just a wonderfully abstract skeletal structure all around. And it only gets weirder from here!

There’s a reason for the peculiar shape of Fishbone’s head! Rather than hop or jump around like most water-based enemies, they shoot their skulls at Kirby for damage! (Don’t worry, it grows back!) Why, you may ask? Well, they provide the Cutter ability, which in Kirby 64 looks like this!:

Most underwater enemies in Kirby don’t give abilities, since Kirby typically can’t inhale while in water (understandable!). He can do this in Kirby 64, though! With them shooting their heads to attack and being fairly common, this makes Fishbones the most Cutterest enemy in the whole game, even more Cuttery than Sir Kibble himself!

They are, in fact, SO Cuttery that Miracle Matter’s embodiment of said ability looks a lot like Fishbones!

They STILL couldn’t get enough of Fishbone, though! If you inhale and carry it over your head, you can shoot its skulls yourself! Due to the way Cutter works, this is actually MORE ideal to use when you’re underwater, since using the ability makes Kirby sink!

Sadly, they reverted how Cutter works after this, and with Kirby going right back to spitting bubbles underwater, Fishbones didn’t stand a chance ): Despite its awesome design, it just joined the foray of thousands of other Kirby 64 enemies to never see the light of day again.

But who knows? Maybe it will appear in a future game, just like beloved Plugg, and grant the Cutter ability once more! After all, the Kirby franchise has finally started begrudgingly acknowledging that Kirby 64 did, in fact, exist.

And I think that any enemy that can say they could be combined with Ghost Knight to inexplicably let Kirby create a giant toothy maw out of his arms, deserves a second chance. :)

Before you ask, no, there’s no way Fishbones could come from the only OTHER bony fish in Kirby 64, Blowfish, either. As for why, let’s take a gander at the scrapped enemy Blowfishbone herself!

“Oouuughh…I am–I’m so, so many bones…ooohgghhgh…”

Thank you, Blowfishbone.

(All gifs taken from the Strategy Wiki!)

[breelandwalker]

Funny thing I've noticed as a longtime LARPer and dedicated Critter who just started playing Baldur's Gate 3 (my first experience with the more recent version of the franchise, having previously played Dark Alliance) -

I am pretty damn good at TTRPG battlefield strategy for someone who's never really played TTRPG.

Like, to the point where my husband (a much more experienced gamer and habitual hack-n-slash all-fighters combat player) took several tries and a couple of party member resurrections to get through a battle that I managed in one shot....with a party of mostly magic users.

The conversation afterward went something like this:

"Wait, you got that in one? How'd you do it?"

"Well, here was my strategy going in.... [quick rundown of distributing potions and useful items between party members, prepping situationally-appropriate spells, using ranged attacks and bonus actions wherever possible, remembering to heal people, and making sure to get in a surprise round on turn-based mode before starting the fight proper]"

".....you had a STRATEGY?"

"....................you DIDN'T?"

I think I just might be good at this. 😁

[sgiandubh]

Your answer earlier today mentioned the fandom was bored and cantankerous and it actually seems like the series ended when 7a did: no fan engagement, no details about the second half of the season, no trailer, no interest from the actors and on and on it goes. It's like it's over but there was no closure so people are basically being jerks (more than usual) because they are at loose ends.

Dear Loose Ends Anon,

While I globally agree with your assessment of the situation, I think there's no possible excuse for a bunch of supposedly adult women to act like an overexcited high-school clique, and then some more. There is no possible excuse for the borderline obsessive preoccupation regarding the whereabouts of a perfect stranger, even if that man was 'very lucky, very blessed' to be cast as JAMMF. There is no possible excuse for knowingly ventilating fake homosexuality rumors, based on proven & deliberate 'evidence' planting on Wikipedia and/or some laughable rants on an obscure American gay forum. And there certainly is no possible excuse for the pervasive hypocrisy amongst the 'Best Fans Ever'.

All the above are WRONG. So no, no excuses, as far as I am concerned.

Add to this a narcissistic writer, who either does not want or is unable to properly manage the most difficult part of any project - its end. A greedy TV network (***) facing financial turbulence and willing to milk the OL franchise until the last drop - BOMB and the Stalinist paranoia surrounding its cast is evidence enough. Two leads who simply try to exist beyond this crushing pressure and who, somehow, will always be found wanting.

By the same logic, there might never be a closure, since I already could bet the farm, Bebe the dog, Zorba the car and all the rest of my worldly possessions that the last episode of Season 8 will be just the start of thunderous and frustrated wailings, all over the world. Hell, depending on its solvability, *** might even consider a Downton Abbey type marketing strategy, finally catching up with madame Gabaldon's turtle sprint. And churning out at least two or three motion pictures based on the inextricable Book 9 (and of course, 10) gibberish.

The only silver lining in all this disaster is that, after all, this is but a storm in a teacup. Consider the scale, Anon - it should be optimistically sobering.

[champstorymedia]

Turn Your Entrepreneurial Dreams into Reality: Starting Your Franchise the Right Way

Introduction Are you an aspiring entrepreneur looking to turn your dreams into reality? Starting a franchise can be a great way to achieve your goals and build a successful business. In this comprehensive guide, we will discuss the key steps and strategies to help you start your franchise the right way. Choosing the Right Franchise Opportunity When starting a franchise, it is crucial to choose…

[ogradyfilm]

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga - Hope Takes Root

[The following essay contains MAJOR SPOILERS; YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!]

I. Living Off the Corpse of the Old World

Come on, Max. Tell me your story. What burned you out? Kill one man too many? See too many people die? Lose some family? Oh, so that's it. You lost your family. That makes you something special, does it?

This monologue, originally uttered in 1981’s The Road Warrior, is still thematically relevant to the increasingly sprawling Mad Max Saga, resonating three films and more than four decades later. Every installment in the franchise—from its scrappy, low-budget debut to its most recent spinoff—revolves around loss. The desolate Wasteland takes, and takes, and takes again, consuming friends, family, resources, sanity. Those that linger are little more than disillusioned scavengers—“maggots living off the corpse of the old world.”

That description certainly applies to Dementus, the central antagonist of Furiosa. A charismatic, flamboyant warlord commanding veritable legions of bloodthirsty marauders, the self-proclaimed “King of the Bikers” (one of several grandiose titles that he flaunts like undeserved trophies) quickly establishes himself as a cunning tactician, utilizing an audacious Trojan Horse strategy to effortlessly overwhelm a formidable stronghold with minimal casualties to his own troops.

Despite his short-term victories on the battlefield, however, Dementus consistently proves himself to be an utterly incompetent leader in times of peace, with his conquests almost immediately descending into chaos and disarray. He’s essentially a post-apocalyptic Ozymandias in the making: “Round the decay of that colossal wreck,” you can easily imagine the History Man saying of his ruined domain, “the lone and level sands stretch far away.”

II. A Fuel-Injected Suicide Machine

Of course, it is implied that Dementus’ numerous “failures” are actually intentional. Although he claims to seek a “land of abundance,” finding it isn't his true goal; rather, what he desires is the pursuit of paradise—the thrill of a chase without end, futile and fruitless. To paraphrase Michael Mann’s Heat: “For [him], the action is the juice.”

[FINAL WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS BELOW!]

Beneath his boasts, bluster, and pretensions of ambition, Dementus is a devout nihilist, so irreparably shattered by the tragic deaths of his children (symbolized by the stuffed toy that he constantly carries on his person) that even physical sensation—pain, pleasure, exhilaration—now eludes him. As he explains to Furiosa during their climactic confrontation, the gaping wound in his heart can only be healed (albeit temporarily) by violence—the fleeting adrenaline rush of seizing territory and crushing his enemies underfoot.

Perhaps this is what motivates him to “mentor” our young heroine: he wants to remold something untainted by rust and radiation in his own savage image—not merely as an heir or a replacement for his biological offspring, but as the ultimate validation of his pessimistic philosophy. To this end, he forces the poor girl to watch as he brutally murders her mother, burning every excruciating second of agony and torment into her memory. To add insult to injury, he literally tastes the tears that she weeps, reveling in her grief and misery.

III. Feels Like Hope

Nevertheless, Love somehow manages to endure amidst the despair—like a lush and verdant Green Place thriving in the middle of a barren desert. If Dementus is a dark reflection of Max Rockatansky’s worst qualities—selfishness, cynicism, indiscriminate rage—then Praetorian Jack anticipates his eventual altruism. Like Max, Jack’s parents were once “warriors searching for a righteous cause.” Unfortunately, nobility and morality are as illusory and insubstantial as a mirage among the merciless dunes; following their senseless deaths, their orphaned son resigned himself to an empty existence of defending an egomaniacal tyrant’s supply caravans from roving bandits and rival gangs.

In Furiosa, though, Jack recognizes a kindred spirit. While circumstances have reduced them to their basest survival instincts, they both dream of something greater: she of returning to the home from which she was snatched, and he of discovering a purpose beyond the “fire and blood” of the Road War. Together, they forge a relationship that transcends romance, nourishing the seed of Hope in one another. He wouldn’t hesitate to lay down his life in exchange for hers; and she, in turn, would gladly sacrifice a chance at freedom in order to protect him.

Even Jack’s unceremonious demise can’t totally extinguish the faint ember of optimism that he sparked in Furiosa’s subconscious. Though she briefly succumbs to wrath and exacts cruel vengeance on Dementus, she refuses to fulfill her adversary’s grim prophecy that she will become his successor—the personification of his bleak worldview. Instead, she follows Jack’s example; inspired by his inherent goodness, she conspires to liberate Immortan Joe’s abused and exploited “wives” (glorified sex slaves, valued solely as breeding stock), leading them to salvation beyond his seemingly infinite reach.

IV. Some Kind of Redemption

“Who killed the world?” is a recurring question throughout Mad Max: Fury Road; the complementary characters in its belated prequel provide something resembling an answer. Dementus, haunted by his traumatic Past, destroys everything that he touches; by the conclusion of his journey, his band of loyal disciples has dwindled to a meager handful, and he finally marches towards his doom alone. Joe, meanwhile, rules the Present with an iron fist, but his single-minded obsession with producing a “pure” genetic legacy sabotages his dynastic aspirations; without any “perfect” progeny to inherit his cult of personality, his empire is too fragile to outlast him. Furiosa, on the other hand, realizes that the Future lies not in oppression and subjugation, but in cooperation, collaboration, and compassion.

Greed, authoritarianism, and Hate killed the world; it is therefore only logical that Love should resurrect it.

It’s a message as elegantly simple and universal as the archetypes that populate George Miller’s modern mythology. Furiosa is a worthy addition to the legendary series, expanding upon and recontextualizing its predecessors while simultaneously excelling on its own merits. It is magnificent, spectacular, and appropriately epic.

[dynared]

So apparently the initial reactions to Transformers One are that it’s going to be amazing -

After Earthspark failed on a viewership and commercial level, and Season 2 managed to alienate its existing audience with an ill-thought retool that just made things make less sense, One is probably the best chance the franchise has to avoid completely going into hibernation for an extended period ala Power Rangers, and may also define their future with Paramount, which is very publicly dealing with its own problems as they scramble to find a buyer.

The whole thing also feels like it might be the last chance for the franchise to release something fun for a long while (unless you’re reading the Energon Universe comics, which you totally should be) opposite a lot of boring, heavy material that either took most of its cues from unpopular IDW comics, or was desperately trying to reminisce about the glory days of the Bayverse, to diminishing box office returns as Rise of the Beasts demonstrated. I’m pretty sure if One bombs, the GI Joe/Transformers crossover doesn’t happen, and Hasbro begins planning an exit strategy.

[felassan]

Article: 'Exclusive: Connie Booth, One of the Chief Architects of PlayStation's First-Party Studio System, Is Joining EA'

Veteran executive spent more than 30 years at Sony before her departure in 2023.

Excerpt:

"Former PlayStation executive Connie Booth, one of the chief architects of PlayStation's first-party strategy before her unexpected departure in 2023, is joining EA to help lead its studios amid its ongoing restructure. Booth's title will be Group General Manager, Action RPG, with a portfolio that will include EA Motive (Iron Man), Cliffhanger (Black Panther), and BioWare (Dragon Age, Mass Effect). She will report directly to EA Entertainment head Laura Miele. "Connie spent more than 30 years helping to build Sony Interactive Entertainment’s internal studios and is responsible for guiding the development of some of their biggest franchises, including Marvel’s Spider-Man 1 & 2, The Last of Us, Ghost of Tsushima, Uncharted, Ratchet and Clank, to name just a few," Miele said in a statement. "She is known for having created an incredible developer-first culture and supporting creative vision while driving innovation. I have known Connie for many years and have always been impressed by her love and commitment to games. She especially cares about game developers. She has an impeccable reputation within the development community and will undoubtedly have a positive impact on our games." [...] Booth's hiring points to EA's desire to replicate some of PlayStation's current exclusives strategy, in which it has found success with large-scale single-player games such as God of War and Spider-Man. In initiating its current restructure, EA has said that it is prioritizing its own franchises and that one of its pillars is "blockbuster storytelling" — an area in which Booth has considerable experience. One of Booth's major tasks will be revitalizing BioWare, which is hoping that Dragon Age: Dreadwolf will reverse its fortunes after Anthem and Mass Effect: Andromeda. BioWare suffered painful layoffs in 2023 and its next entry in the Mass Effect franchise remains in pre-production."

[source]

[source]

[avatar-news]

A new multiplayer mobile strategy game set in the world of Avatar, where players work together to defeat a "Barbarian Death Cult that worships an evil spirit set on dominating the world" is coming in 2024

As the title says, a new game has been announced! From Paramount (Avatar Studios' parent company), Tilting Point, and AN Games (no relation to Avatar News lol), a city-building multiplayer mobile game is coming in 2024.

Right now we don't know when the game is set, i.e. when this "Barbarbian Death Cult" is active. The press release (see below) does mention that players will "interact with beloved characters" so it has to be during some known Avatar's lifetime. The artwork provided to us above contains characters from both ATLA and TLOK with a Korra-era background, but I wouldn't read too much into it. Also I just have to say for posterity that the idea of the villains being "barbarians" feels a little off, but we'll have to wait and see!

It's possible that this is the "MMORPG" that was revealed to be planned last year-- it's likely that the "console RPG" in the same post turned out to be Quest for Balance, so it's possible both of those games have now been accounted for.

Check out the press release they sent us (bolding ours):

Tilting Point, one of the leading global publishers of free-to-play games, and real-time strategy game developer AN Games, under license from Paramount Consumer Products, are developing a multiplayer strategy mobile game focused on Nickelodeon’s Avatar: The Last Airbender franchise. Based on the renowned animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra, the strategic mobile game will have players explore the Avatar world, interact with beloved characters and work together with other players to defeat a Barbarian Death Cult that worships an evil spirit set on dominating the world. Launching in 2024, the game’s official title and additional details will be announced in the coming months. In this multiplayer strategy mobile game, players will take on the role of a leader tasked with building an army and community to restore balance in the Avatar world. Strategy is key as players will need to build cities, manage resources, construct and upgrade buildings, explore the world, and engage in tactical combat to become victorious. With a focus on city building, cooperative gameplay, and exploration, players will work together to expand territories, manage resources, and restore harmony to the Avatar world.