World Of Warriors Supplement

FC_WoW_Supplement 06/05/2015 11:31

World of Warriors is the

brainchild of art director,

Johnny Taylor, who

presented the concept at Mind

Candy’s annual conference, Candy

Stock in 2012. His vision was of an epic

game where warriors from throughout

history would meet to do battle in an

imaginary world. Johnny was inspired

by his young son Leon, who enjoyed

play fighting. “I started talking to Leon

about historical warriors, like Romans

and Vikings, and he would ask me

questions like ‘who would win out of a

Roman and a Viking?’ And that’s really

how the idea of World of

Warriors all started,”

says Johnny.

After two years in

development, and

remaining faithful to

Johnny’s original vision,

the much anticipated

World of Warriors mobile

game was released in

November 2014. In a

heady mix, World of

Warriors blends

fighting and RPG

gameplay while encompassing an

ever-expanding array of the

greatest warriors in history, from

Ninjas and Aztecs to Knights

and Vikings. Every warrior

comes with its own back

story, special moves and

historical facts. The game

takes place in the

Wildlands, a land beyond

Earth with players

summoning their own

team of warriors to fight

a power-hungry

warlord and his

evil Skull Army.

Taking Johnny’s

initial concept and

developing it into the

mobile game was the

challenge Mind Candy’s

Brighton studio gladly

took up. Mark Knowles-

Lee, studio head, says:

“World of Warriors was a

step up in ambition for

Mind Candy. We

wanted to deliver

a big-buck,

cinematic feel on a

mobile platform. The

team has really

focused on the art and

animation of the game.

The characters are at

the heart of the

brand; the game

comes to life

through them.”

The mobile

game has

already proven

to be a big hit

with players, rating

4.5 out of 5 on iTunes and

4.4 out of 5 on Google Play. Mark

puts this down to developing a great

game that appeals to the audience:

“Firstly, it looks good. We’ve delivered

a console-gaming experience on a

in the beginning…The greatest warriors from history do battle against a power-hungry warlord and anevil army in the vast Wildlands. Welcome to World of Warriors; Mind Candy’s newestfamily entertainment brand with a wide global reach.

The greatest warriors from history do battle against a power-hungry warlord and anevil army in the vast Wildlands. Welcome to World of Warriors; Mind Candy’s newestfamily entertainment brand with a wide global reach.

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Inset: Mind Candy isready to do battle withWorld of Warriors.

Above right: Comic book-inspired artwork.Above: Johnny Taylor presenting his idea for World of Warriors at Candy Stock.Right: Some of the early warrior artwork.

creative approach

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…Inset: In the Brighton studio, 20 developers have alreadybeen working on World of Warriors for over two years.Below centre: A lot of research goes into ensuring thewarriors are factually and historically correct.Bottom: Clean bold lines in the iconic design treatment.

mobile platform; players appreciate

that. But most importantly, it is a great

game. There is a real depth to it,

players need to create teams of

warriors and build a

strategy. We’re

continually

updating the game

as well, introducing

new features and

events to keep

it fresh.”

The development

team has spent a lot of

time on the

characters, focusing

on facial expressions,

cinematic qualities

and personalities.

The mobile game

launched with 50 warriors

and 50 enemy minions and

there have already been a

further 50 warriors added.

The Brighton studio is

committed to launching

a further 10 characters

every month.

Having such a diverse range

of characters and

strong vision has

given the creative

team a wealth of

opportunities for

developing brand

style guides.

Producing the style

guides in-house is a

bonus for Ant Gardner,

art director of the

central creative team:

“We’ve got all the

expertise in-house. We’ve

got a great relationship

with Johnny and the guys

in the Brighton studio.

We’re looking at data

from the game all the

time and can react really

quickly to what the

players like, and don’t like.

Likewise, we work very closely

with the licensing team to make sure

that licensees have all the assets

they need.”

The 2015 style

guide focuses on

six main warriors

with three different

design treatments.

The core guide

uses cinematic

character art with

fierce typography

in a stunning

graphic display.

The graphic novel

treatment gives

warriors explosive poses while comic

book inspired graphics add a

dynamic edge. The iconic guide uses

clean lines, bold typography and

striking character art.

“We’ve had a lot of positive

feedback about the style guides so

far,” says Ant. “It’s been great for us

to see the way licensees have

worked with the guides to bring the

World of Warriors to life across such

a diverse range of categories.”

And there’s still so much more to

come for the brand; “New

characters, new battles, new

stories; it’s such an exciting project

to be involved in,” says Ant. “The

next stage will be taking the brand

into new global markets. We’ll be

able to focus on different

characters for these markets and

that’s something that I’m really

looking forward to.”

summoning new warriorsAdding new characters is a mammoth task, and accurate research is a vital partof the process. Very early on in developing the brand, just after the project wasgreen-lit, the team spent some time at the British Museum in London, meeting with a group called ‘Hands on History’ and dressing as Romans andknights. “We were able to feel the weight of the weapons and armour, it was an incredibly immersive starting point,”says Johnny. We have over 200 warriors designed now, and findingreference material is becoming tough.We research the weapons they wouldhave used, helmets, shields, clothing,even facial hair. The characters all sharethe same key starting point - the bodyshape and animation.

creative approach

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The UK No. 1 in Licensed Greetingst: +44 (0)1264 388400

e: [email protected]: gemma-international.co.uk

06_WoW_Supplement 05/05/2015 17:12

gunnar the vikingraider (798 AD)

Summoned to the Wildlands from a frozen fjord in 798 AD shortly after looting three

monasteries in two days.likes: Raiding and trading

dislikes: Clergymen

zuma thejaguarwarrior

(1519 AD)Summoned to theWildlands fromMesoamerica in 1519 ADwhile chasing thievingConquistadors escapingwith a hoard of Aztec gold.likes: Human sacrificedislikes: Conquistadors

brutus theroman soldier

(79 AD)Summoned to the Wildlands from Pompeii in 79 AD while attempting to control a riot triggered by an escaped tiger.likes: Baked dormice

dislikes:

crixus the roman

gladiator (112 AD)Summoned to the Wildlandsfrom Rome in 112 AD while fleeingthe Colosseum in a cart loadedwith mangled corpses.likes: Thumbs updislikes: Hecklers

kuro the midnightninja

Summoned to the Wildlandsfrom Azuchi Castle in1579 AD whileattempting to

assassinate a notoriousJapanese warlord.

likes: Espionagedislikes: Loud noises

lance the knight templar (1172 AD)Summoned to the Wildlands in1177 AD while laying waste toSaladin’s dwindling troopsduring the epic Battle ofMontgisard.likes: Spreading the worddislikes: Itchy chainmail

creative approach

The World of Warriors castalready totals over 100

characters. With so muchdepth, Mind Candy has decided

to focus on six key warriors forthe global launch campaign.

Let’s meet them…

meet the warriors

7

Bathing

4-5-7 WOW Creative approach_GAZ_Art & Design LSB 15/05/2015 14:33

(1579 AD)

Mind Candy has spent

considerable time and

care in building a robust

licensing programme, while at the

same time building the

World of Warriors brand.

Darran Garnham, chief

commercial officer

explains that interest in

the new IP from Mind

Candy was incredible

from licensees and

retailers: “We’d built up a

lot of trust from the

success of Moshi Monsters.

Many licensees and retailers

have been on a journey with us

through Moshi Monsters and

have a lot of faith in what we’re

doing. I think our partners could

see the potential of World of

Warriors right from the start;

people are very comfortable

with the characters and stories.”

It is the depth of characters

and stories that are central to the

brand. “If you asked what the Mind

Candy ‘secret sauce’ is, it would be

the ability to develop characters and

content,” says Darran. “The

World of Warriors mobile

app is just the first touch-

point for the brand. There is

short-form content coming

over the summer,

predominantly on YouTube,

a PlayStation 4 game in

spring 2016 and the on-

going development of the website.

World of Warriors is not just a mobile

game, it is an

entertainment

brand,” he

stressed.

The World of

Warriors

consumer

products in 2015

will initially focus

on the six lead

let battle commence!let battle commence!The first consumer products for World of Warriors hit the shelves in April, less than six months after the mobile game was launched. Magazines, publishing and toys will all follow over summer and into autumn. Coupled with a high-profile marketing

campaign, Mind Candy’s latest IP is sure to walk away victorious.

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Inset: Mind Candy’s Darran Garnham.Above right: A sample back packfrom Trade Mark Collections.Right: The official sticker book from Penguin Random House will be out in June.

consumer products

8-9 WOW Licensing Programme_v8_Art & Design LSB 13/05/2015 17:44

characters: Gunnar the Viking Raider,

Zuma the Jaguar Warrior, Brutus the

Roman Soldier, Kuro the Midnight

Ninja, Crixus the Roman Gladiator and

Lance the Knight Templar. But with

over 100 warriors in the mobile app,

the scope for development is huge.

And with warriors coming

from all corners of the globe, the

brand will appeal to

international audiences

as well.

Darran explains that

as well as building

games that are fun

and challenging,

the educational

aspect of the

brand is also

very important: “It’s

all about stealth

education. Johnny Taylor, the

brains behind World of Warriors, has

spent an inordinate amount of

time researching all the warriors

and ensuring that they are

historically correct.”

In terms of building the consumer

products programme, Mind Candy is

collaborating with a number of

specialists with a focus on the UK

for 2015, but at the same time working

with global partners to launch in 2016.

Mind Candy is working

with Penguin Random

House on the publishing

front, Egmont for

magazines and Topps for

trading cards. The key

partners for toys are

Moose Toys for the US and

Australia and GP Flair for

UK and Europe.

“It was great to get

these key players on

board so soon,”

says Darran.

“We’re very

excited, for

example, to be

working with

Moose Toys.

Moose is a great

brand-builder. It really

understands how to take a property

from a toy format into other content,

for example Trash Pack and Shopkins.

Moose don’t often take on other

licences, so it’s going to be great

working with them.”

Part of the attraction of World of

Warriors is the collectable aspect of

the characters. GP Flair will launch the

first collectables in autumn, with 120

characters to collect. Topps launched

the first series of trading cards in April

and these have been a huge success

with fans. Egmont’s first World of

Warriors magazine comes out in May

and will feature cover mounts and

opportunities for key partners to

advertise. The first books from

Penguin Random House are due in

June and include a sticker activity

book and the official guide. Other

licensees will be bringing out

products across apparel, homeware,

health and beauty, outdoor, stationery

and party products.

“There’s going to be a huge buzz

around the brand this spring and

summer,” says Darran. “The first

consumer products are coming to the

market, but also we’ll be in the middle

of a big brand marketing campaign

which includes adverts on TV,

YouTube and cinemas. Consumers will

see the brand everywhere: mobile,

computer, TV, magazine stands and

on the shop floor. It’s all happening!”

platform relationshipsWorld of Warriors sky-rocketed inthe Apple iTunes charts to the

number one role-playing game inover 80 countries just days after itwas released in November 2014. Andit was selected as a ‘Best of 2014’ appin the Apple app store and was re-featured as editors’ choice in Marchwhen the game was updated. “Ourrelationships with the platforms havebeen key,” says Darran. “Apple,Google and Amazon have beenamazing supporters of Mind Candy.As we move into new markets we willcontinue these partnerships andbuild with local platforms who reachmillions of consumers. This isparticularly important in Asia wherethe dominant player can change permarket. We have spent the last 18months working on theserelationships to ensure success at aglobal and local level.”

Left: World of Warriors was featured twice in theiTunes store, first when it was launched and thenagain in March when it was updated.

a collaborative approachDave Tovey, licensing and retail manager, says: “Westarted talking to retailers about the brand just beforeVegas last year, so they got to see it before anyone else.It was great, as we were working with a clean slate interms of consumer products and we had a lot of feedbackfrom retailers about potential direction. So when we went toVegas and BLE we had a clear idea what we wanted to focus on. The licenseeswe're working with are all best in their category and there's some strongproducts coming to market.”

Above: Dave Tovey.

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Above: The first collectables fromGP Flair will launch in autumn.

Above: Trading cards from Topps were launched in April.

consumer products

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10_WoW_Supplement 06/05/2015 11:46

World of Warriors has reallyimpressed licensees across awide spectrum of categoriesand 2015 will see some trulyinnovative product launches.Mind Candy invests a lot oftime and energy into itsrelationships with licensees;something they all appreciate.

licensee feedback

paul solomon, chief executiveofficer, moose Toys“The basic concept of Warriors is simple and soclassically appealing to boys. The broad content and

unique brand identity lends itself perfectly to toys. It has been a reallyenjoyable experience bringing it to life with our line. Moose has developed the collectable toy range includingover 120 characters, accessories and a playset. Just like the World of Warriors game, boys can gather their army, collectingwarriors from all through the ages. They can also replicate their favourite battles with the accessories and playset.”

nic aldridge, marketing director, gp flair “World of Warriors is an incredibly innovative and coolboys’ property. The expansive, engaging and action-packedWorld of Warriors game combined with Mind Candy’scomprehensive content development and marketing supportplans have set the stage for the launch of our toy line which we believe will be the desire of many boys. Thecollection boasts mini figure packs in 2s, 4s and 8s with over120 figures to collect in Series One alone. There’s also aBattle Fortress playset, Deluxe Action Figures and a range ofrole-play accessories.” Right: Collectable figure from GP Flair.

siobhan galvin,publishingdirector, egmont publishing“This is our firsttime working withMind Candy. Theyare a really greatteam with tons ofcreativity andenthusiasm for the brand. MindCandy is verycollaborative in its approach andwe’re workingclosely with them onthe development ofthe magazine. We are really excited aboutdeveloping the story through ourexclusive comic content as well asbringing historical characters to lifethrough interactive puzzles, posters, fact-files and amazing free gifts. The magazinewill be an integral way for fans to engagewith the brand off-screen.”

Inset: Battle playset.

chris rodman, vicepresident, topps europe“Topps have been a licensee for MindCandy since the early days of Moshi

Monsters. Our Moshi Mash Up Trading Card Game was oneof the first licensed products to hit shelves back in 2010and prompted the first wave of Moshi-mania at retail.World of Warriors has a tremendous range of characters,each with their own unique personality and skill set. To have such a wide rangeof amazing art to work with has been very exciting and as such we’ve been ableto create an incredibly visual and compelling trading card game for this brand.”

Above: Topps trading card.

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Above: Magazinefrom Egmont.

licenseeslicensees

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licensee feedback

annabel walwyn,senior editor,penguin randomhouse “World of Warriors is truly

epic in terms of its premise, its cast of thegreatest warriors drawn from history, itsfilmic visuals and awesome battle brawls,and finally, in terms of Mind Candy’s globalambition for the brand. We are theexclusive global publishers on World ofWarriors and we believe our innovativemixture of author-led fiction by CurtisJobling and bestselling factual formatswill capture the imagination of all 7-12year old fans. We have a fantastic line-up of fiction and non-fiction in our2015 publishing programme.”

Above: World of Warriors Official Guide.

shahid ahmad, director, strategiccontent, Sony Computer entertainment Europe “The process of working with Mind Candy on World of Warriorshas been one of synergy, mutual respect and a shared passion

for the brand vision and the products that will emerge from it. We'veparticularly enjoyed the open and free-flowing communication across theboard, encouraging us all to be innovative. We can't wait to see the gamerealised on PlayStation 4; we think World of Warriors as a PlayStation consolegame is going to appeal to a wide audience.”

charlie howarth,product manager,m.v sports &leisure

“We are venturing on our firstproject with Mind Candy in the

form of World of Warriors.With interest from retailersfrom the outset, thispromises to be an exciting andsought afterlicensed range.The bold,graphic stylesuits ourproductsperfectly andthe relatableandrecognisablecharacters bring fun andaction-packeddesign options.

Our key lines forthis range will

include an inline scooter,bike, skateboard andhelmet.”

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Right: MV Sports skateboard.

james redfern, sales director, blueprint collections“What Mind Candy does brilliantly is capture the imagination ofboth buyers and consumers alike. World of Warriors is fun,diverse and educational – not to mention creative, inspiring and

exciting. After the market success with Moshi we are proud to be teaming upwith Mind Candy once again and bringing Warriors to the market. Like us, ourbuyers have been ‘grabbed’ by the adventures that Warriors offers.”

Below: Embossed pencil tin.

tim kilby,branddirector,character world“World of Warriors appealed tous for two main reasons; firstlyit looks stunning with adistinctive cartoon-like artworkstyle. And secondly as a mobileapp, it has an incredible abilityto reach out to a hugeaudience, which helpslicensees to sell product. MindCandy has a strong track recordof innovation, plus a goodpresence at retail. Duvet setsare our key launch product andthe incredible artwork createdby Mind Candy will make this brand stand out from the crowd.”


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licensee feedback

caroline weaver, headof product andmarketing,gemmainternational“The quality of thegame itself isfantastic and the artwork is soappealing with a great variety ofcharacters to work with. There isalso a large bank of assets withcomprehensive style guide whichwill give us a lot of scope whencreating the range. The team atMind Candy are a joy to work with,they are extremely passionateabout their brands and how theyare represented in themarketplace, their creativity andenthusiasm is infectious.”

sion aykroyd, sales and licensingexecutive, aykroyd & sons“World of Warriors is our first venture with Mind Candyand having been involved from the very first introductionpresentation I must say that working with Mind Candy has been a breath offresh air. The style guides and the creative assets available really exciteour designers; the creative opportunities are endless. Pyjamas are our keyproduct line and we offer exceptional one-off and innovative designs withthe very newest and exclusive print techniques on the planet.”

jenni leprevost, marketing director, dnc uk“From the very first presentations we were excited by theopportunity World of Warriors represented; a really strong concept,compelling characters, addictive gaming, educational and fun. Weare working with Mind Candy for the first time and it’s a pleasure to

work with such a professional, responsive team who are committed to their brandand to working closely with their licensees. Our product lines will

include 3D EVAcharacter shaped lunchbags supported byinnovative drinkwareand snacking items.”

Below: Range of products from DNC UK.

laura sumner,commercial

director, vmcaccessories ltd

“World of Warriors is aunique and appealing propertywhich is also educational. Weenjoyed much success with MoshiMonsters and love working withMind Candy as they are a dynamicbusiness who make thingshappen. We’re working on an all-round fashion accessories forWorld of Warriors including hats,

scarves, gloves and sunglasses. We’re alsoreally excited to be working on a range of tech accessories such asphone cases, tablet cases and laptop covers.”Above: Beanie from VMC Accessories.

hannah miles,head of design,smith andbrooks

“We have worked with Mind Candy forsome years now and have a greatworking relationship and are proud topartner with them. We have listings in allmajor retailers on daywear and theproduct is looking slick. We have coolconsidered designs in store for launchthat really reflect the spirit of the brand.Using different print effects, and somemetallic inks, the bold crops of graphics,with stitch detail and fabric interestensure the garment is on-trend and on-brand.”Below: T-shirt design from Smith and Brooks.


14_WoW_Supplement 15/05/2015 10:49

rob broadhurst,account manager, roy lowe“Having been an early adopter ofMind Candy’s previous smash hitMoshi Monsters, once we heardthere was another release in thepipeline, we were obviously verykeen to get involved and areenormously excited to be workingwith Mind Candy on World ofWarriors. Mind Candy’s uniquelyimmersive gaming platforms andinnovative marketing programmesmake this an ideal brand for us topartner with on our sock designs.”Below: Roy Lowe’s socks.

tim dawson, chief executive,tdp textiles“World of Warriors is a very innovativebrand and we had no hesitation in

pitching for the licence. It’s the first timewe’ve worked with Mind Candy. The team is very creativeand passionate and have a huge amount of knowledgeabout the market. Our key product lines are children’sunderwear, nightwear, dressing gowns and onesies.We’ve had a very positive response from everyone we’ve

shown our range to andhave already taken ourfirst order from amajor retailer.”

Left: Trunks from TDP Textiles.

mark hillson, director, trademark collections“World of Warriors is so visually strong withsuch beautiful 3D graphics that it attracted usas soon as we saw it. We love the real-lifehistorical references and it just felt right for us.We love working with Mind Candy – they arealways full of ideas and, most important ofall to us, they are simply nice people. Wewill have a full range of bags available forthe start of 2016 with a couple of exclusivereleases available in late 2015.”

Right: Trade Mark Collections backpack.

max arguile, licensing manager, gb eye“We were one of the first to sign up with Moshi Monstersand we had great success with the brand; it brought usnew customers and it was fantastic to be involved with it.We’re anticipating similar success with World of Warriors,

Mind Candy definitely knowwhat they are doing. Our type ofproduct – posters, prints,badges – sells well if the gameis popular. And World ofWarriors is setting up to be agreat game.”

Right: World of Warriors poster.

licensee feedback

john harris, sales director and partner,kokomo studio“We’re very excited to beworking with Mind Candy forthe first time. We’ve foundthem to be very pro-active, abit quirky and just good funto work with. They really ‘getit’; they know how tostrategically take a brand tomarket, they totallyunderstand retail. Kokomoprides itself on its uniqueapproach to NPD, so World ofWarriors gives us theopportunity to launch somegreat products to anaudience that will appreciate it.”

Right: Battle Bath and Shower Gel.

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gaining retail support for World

of Warriors, even before the

mobile app was launched, has

been an important part of the brand

strategy for Mind Candy.

Retailers were some of

the first to see the brand

and getting their

engagement and

feedback has helped

shape the consumer

products programme

according to Samuel Ferguson,

head of licensing and retail.

“Expectations were

high around our new

IP after the success of

Moshi Monsters and

the feedback from

retailers has been

amazing. We

have been

working very closely with

retailers and listening to their

needs to make sure we

really understand their

customers, with the goal to

deliver something exclusive and

on-brand for them.”

Retailers are particularly

excited about the collectable

nature of the brand and the

educational aspect. “Stealth education

is very important to Mind Candy,” says

Sam. “Kids didn’t realise it, but Moshi

World of Warriors is one of the most anticipated toy retaillaunches of 2015, with a strategic roll-out of consumer product

starting in the spring; with toys – the major tentpole –coming in autumn. Mind Candy has been engaging withretailers to ensure that World of Warriors is everything that

consumers would want, and more.

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rebecca rees, head of marketingand licensing, the entertainer:“World of Warriors has amazing depth of content; I particularlylike the historic accuracy and how it relates to the curriculum.This huge amount of character content creates a great

foundation for a collectable. Mind Candy has listened to our feedback andthe team there has really engaged with us on the brand.

This is one of our key launches for 2015 and we are working with MindCandy and Flair on the joint marketing plans. We willsupporting the range from the moment it’s availableand are working closely with Mind Candy to ensurewe list any further categories when they areavailable. You will definitely see a World of Warriors‘take over’ with windows, competitions and plenty ofonline elements to engage with the kids.”

talking shop

retail reaction

Left: World of Warriors is one of the key launches for 2015for The Entertainer.

Below: Samuel Ferguson.

Above: Education is important to Mind Candy, andkids learn about history as they play the game.

16-17 WOW Retail Reaction_NEW_Art & Design LSB 14/05/2015 12:48 Page 1

Monsters was educational,

with kids learning about

geography and

mathematics to earn

social currency. The

warriors in World of

Warriors are all factually

and historically correct. This

comes through in the mobile

app, but we’ll also bring this

educational aspect to

off-line content, like magazines,

books and toy packaging.”

One of the biggest

tentpoles for 2015 is the UK

toy launch in autumn. “Toys

will be the biggest consumer

product category for the

brand,” says Sam. “We’re

working with best-in-category

partners: Flair, Giocho Preziosi

and Moose Toys on delivering

something exceptional for

consumers. Retailers loved

what we achieved on Moshi with our

toy partners and they can all see the

potential for World of Warriors.”

Publishing is another key category for

the brand according to Sam. “We’ve

been working closely with Penguin

Random House on a multi-layered

publishing programme, which includes

a traditional licensing book

programme, series fiction and

collectable non-fiction titles. The brand

lends itself nicely to story-telling and

we believe we can unlock the

potential of the world using fiction.

Penguin Random House is publishing

a range of non-fiction guides and

annuals, but excitingly is also working

with author, Curtis Jobling on a range

of fiction titles.”

Bringing World of Warriors to life

through consumer products has

been a truly collaborative affair

between Mind Candy and retailers.

“The feedback from retailers is that

our approach is really refreshing.

Retailers feel ownership of brand and

they’ve seen World of Warriors grow

with us. It’s great to see people outside

of Mind Candy as excited about World

of Warriors as we all are.”

consumer products

ruth golightly, head of buying,george childrenswear

and licencerichard wall, buying

manager of toys, asda:“The World of Warriors property looks

really strong, I love brands that can bringeducation to life through great content.

The team at Mind Candy have been apleasure to work with. They are a forward-

thinking company with bucket loads of experience in thecollectables market. The app has received great

feedback throughout the industry and weare looking forward to seeing the rangeland in store. We will be looking to launch toys in linewith the market in August. Other categoriescurrently looking to support this brand will beclothing, cards, books, magazines, trading cards

and areas within Home. Outside of our range space we have some exciting off-shelfplans to activate World of Warriors in store which looks to challenge the way customersimmerse themselves with the brand.”

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anita serradimigni, licensingmanager, tesco:“We are really excited about World ofWarriors and are looking forward tobringing this hot licence to our customers later this year. The technologicalinnovation and programme content is fantastic and I can’t wait to see thislicence come to life on consumer products as well as on digital platforms. It’s

fun working with a company who is able to push the norms; Mind Candy’s collaboration andinnovation means together we can land something exciting for kids! Mind Candy are able to

engage with their users in a unique way because they understand them so well, they ooze trust ineverything they do.

Toys will be the landing bed in store and will be the key to the cross-category offering. Excitingly World ofWarriors will make a cameo appearance in our Back to School offering. We have some exciting plans in place. WhatTesco is able to land - like no other retailer - is our store estate and online opportunities. The reach for World of Warriors will be immense.”

Above: Tesco is excited about bringingWorld of Warriors to customers incategories across the store.

Above: Asda will supportWorld of Warriors acrossmultiple categories in store.

.

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18_WoW_Supplement 05/05/2015 17:13

The key focus of the World of

Warriors’ marketing strategy is to

promote awareness of the brand

among boys aged six to 12 years old.

Mind Candy is investing heavily in

developing rich content to create a fully

immersive brand experience as head of

marketing, Lauren Delord explains: “The

unique back story combined with

historically accurate character

biographies are so important in setting

World of Warriors apart from anything

else on the market. We have this

amazing fictional world which gives us

so many possibilities to create really

engaging content for the fans.”

Mind Candy is creating bespoke short-

form animation for adverts on TV,

cinema and YouTube, not just using

game footage. This is an opportunity to

show the complexity and sophistication

of the brand. Adverts will air over 7,000

times during the campaign across key

channels. Cinema advertising will hit 700

screens in the UK from the end of June

starting with the Minions movie. And

YouTube pre-roll ads will achieve over 2

million impressions on targeted

channels for boys and gamers.

The World of Warriors website is

another important piece in the marketing

mix. “The website is the digital

destination for consumers to engage

with the brand,” says Lauren. “For the

fans, it’s the first port of call

for everything happening in the World of

Warriors – whether that’s

in the game itself, or

activity around

consumer products.

There’s a character

gallery, competitions

and activity sheets, mini

games and more

videos being uploaded every week.

The fully localised global website will

also support licensees and retailers as

they come on board, providing a space

to promote new products and

run competitions.”

Some of the warriors will be brought to

life through costume characters from

Rainbow Productions for in-store meet

and greets. Other live events will

include Topps ‘swap and play’ tours.

“We’re also planning other immersive

activities for in-store to support the toy

launch in the UK.

World of Warriors is a

fun, exciting brand,

and we want to make

sure we bring this to

life for consumers,”

says Lauren.

It’s a very

exciting time ahead for everyone

involved with World of Warriors, from

licensees and retailers through to

consumers. Innovative marketing

initiatives will ensure that World of

Warriors will be in the forefront of

everyone’s mind this year in the UK and

next year across the globe.

GETTING SOCIALOlivia Burns, marketing executive says: "Social media plays animportant role in reaching out to consumers, with Mind Candy’sPopJam a particularly useful platform for targeting young fans.There are over 50,000 followers on the World of Warriors channelon PopJam, who can access exclusive content and share gamingtips with each other in a fun, creative and safe environment.Facebook and Twitter are hugely important for targeting oldergamers and parents."

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you’ve beensummonedyou’ve beensummoned

From animated YouTube videos to in-store meet and greets, this year there’ll be noescaping World of Warriors. High-profile marketing campaigns aim to raise awareness ofthe brand, building demand for when consumer products hit the shelves.

Right: Fans get a first look at theTopps trading cards at a ‘swapand play’ event at St James Parkin Newcastle in April.Left: Lauren Delord, headof marketing.Below: World of Warriorswebsite is localised in sixlanguages and is first port ofcall for everything happeningaround the brand.

marketing overview

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Mind Candy has been

thinking globally right from

the conception of World of

Warriors. Not only does the game

itself have an international flavour –

the warriors hail from all four corners

of the globe – but

the mobile app

was launched

in six languages from

day one. Plans for

bringing the digital

and consumer

products to a

global audience

have been

integrated in the

brand strategy right

from the beginning.

“It’s a very different approach than

we took with Moshi Monsters,”

explains Darran Garnham, chief

commercial officer of Mind Candy.

“Moshi was huge in the UK, but it has

taken some time to replicate that

success overseas. With World of

Warriors, right from the start we

were thinking about international

audiences. And although we are

focusing on the UK in 2015, we’ve

already got agents in place in

North America, Canada and Australia,

ready to roll out consumer and digital

products in those markets in 2016.”

North America is a big area for

growth for the brand. Mind Candy has

appointed CPLG as the licensing

agent for continental Europe and the

US, who will oversee licensing for all

categories, support the global

partners and source new

opportunities in these territories.

“North America is such a big market

for World of Warriors,” says Darran. “It’s

the biggest market for the mobile app

to date, so we really are expecting

great things when the

consumer products

programme rolls

out.” Elsewhere, Mind Candy is

working with Haven Licensing in

Australasia and Segal Licensing in

Canada as well.

The company also has its sights set

on Asia and will have localised the

mobile app into three Asian territories

by the end of 2015 and is talking to

companies in China, Japan and Korea

about building platforms in these

territories. “Bringing brands from the

West to East is notoriously difficult,”

accepts Darran. “But with World of

Warriors, we already have the

characters in the game from this part

of the world. That is the beauty of the

depth of characters we have with

World of Warriors. No matter where in

the world you are, there is a warrior

you can identify with.”

worldlywarriors The World of Warriors mobile game has already been downloaded over 6 million times all around the globe, and the rest of the world won’t need to wait long to see World of Warriors consumer products hitting the shelves too.

a united nations of warriorsWorld of Warriors is perfectly placed to penetrate globalmarkets as it stands. Unlike many other brands which needto add new characters to appeal to an internationalaudience, World of Warriors already has the characters inthe game. “The lead characters we use in our branding canbe easily changed depending on the

market,” explains Darran. “So forthe Australasian market we

may lead with Doongarathe Australian

Aborigine and Manawathe Maori Warrior, but inAsia we can lead with

Sakuma the LoneSamurai and Ping the

Tang Dynasty Princess.”

Inset: Warriors fromthroughout history andall over the world jointogether to do battle,including Manawa theMaori Warrior (above),Jin the Ming Warrior(above top), Aka theZande Warrior (below)and Zengis the Mongol Warrior (below right).

global perspective

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21 WOW Inter Reach 2 USE_Art & Design LSB 14/05/2015 10:34 Page 2

World of Warriors has been

brought to life as a mobile

app, but this is just the first

touchpoint in a strategy spanning online

and offline platforms. And although the

brand is predominantly targeted at boys

aged six to 12 years, Mind Candy

anticipates that the mixture of battling,

crafting and strategy will appeal to

older mid-core gamers as well –

creating a true family

entertainment brand.

“The mobile

app has been

phenomenally

successful, and we’re

continually layering in

new characters, new

battles and new ways

to play,” says Darran

Garnham, chief commercial officer. “It’s

so important to keep the game relevant.

We listen to the

players and take on board feedback.

Mind Candy is working on developing

a second mobile app that will be

completely free to play. The existing

World of Warriors mobile app is

a freemium title;

it’s free to play,

but players can

use in-app

purchases of

virtual currency

(wildstones)

to enhance

the game.

“The mobile apps are only one of the

touchpoints,” says Darran. “We’re

particularly excited about short-form

animation and have released a number

of videos on our YouTube channel. The

brand lends itself to animation; it’s a way

that the players can engage with the

brand away from the game.”

A deal with Sony PlayStation will see

World of Warriors coming out as a

PlayStation 4 game in spring 2016.

Darran explains how this will allow

players to fully immerse themselves in

the Wildlands: “The PlayStation 4 game

is incredibly exciting. Obviously with a

mobile game you are restricted with

what you can achieve in terms of

gameplay. But a console-based game

will really allow players to explore the

full depth of the game. We’ll be able to

deepen the historical aspect of the

brand; we’re even thinking about

introducing animals into battles.”

And that’s just the digital product. Mind

Candy’s robust marketing and licensing

programme will see the brand coming

to life across multiple product

categories, including hardlines, softlines

and publishing; both in the UK and

overseas territories. As the warriors

themselves cry: ‘Let Battle Commence!’

the story continuesFor fans who just can’t get enough of World of Warriors,Penguin Random House will be bringing out a series of fictionalstories by Wereworld author, Curtis Jobling. Curtis says: “Icouldn't resist the opportunity to write these combativecharacters that span history and cross cultures. Each tale will feature adesperate, diverse and deadly gang of battling warriors as they embark uponan incredible quest – the biggest challenge will be getting them to worktogether and not bash lumps out of one another!” Above: Curtis Jobling.

watch this spaceMind Candy has big plans for World of Warriors across avariety of media platforms, over the next 12 to 18 monthsexpect to see some great short-form animation, a PlayStation 4 game and another mobile app.

Above: Continual updates to the mobileapp keeps the gameplay exciting.

Inset: Characters from the mobile app will be brought to life on otherplatforms including short-form animation and a PlayStation 4 game.

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looking ahead

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World Of Warriors Supplement

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Transcript of World Of Warriors Supplement