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Fanattik’s Ticket to license The Con Is On

Gift and collectables company Fanattik has inked a three-year multiterritory licensing deal with tabletop gaming giant Asmodee.

The deal will cover Asmodee titles such as the 10 million-selling Ticket To Ride as well as Legend Of The Five Rings, Arkham Horror and Twilight Imperium.

It will see Fanattik products being supplied to ‘pop culture retailers’ throughout the UK, Europe and beyond.

Fanattik MD Anthony Marks said: “Tabletop gaming was already a growth area pre-pandemic; when lockdown hit, demand went through the roof and continues to remain high for related product. We believe we are best in class when it comes to fan-focused gifts and collectables, so Asmodee as a market leader, is a natural partner for us and the retailers we supply.”

Asmodee Entertainment licensing manager Alexander Thieme said: “Anthony and I were of the same mind when we first started talking at BLE 2021. Fanattik’s products are both creative and of a high quality that comes at reasonable price points. When we honed in on the brands we ended up with a wider selection to offer retailers a brand spectrum. I’m delighted that we can finally announce our cooperation now, and I can’t wait to see the products coming from it.”

Poetic justice for Pokémon

Poetic Brands has partnered with online retailer ASOS to produce a 38-piece range of apparel based on the mammoth Pokémon franchise.

The range builds on the apparel licensee’s partnership with the retailer and features classic Pokémon characters and includes t-shirts, dresses, hoodies, knitwear, denim shorts, a denim jacket, denim short dungarees, swimwear and accessories.

Henry goes bag mad

Novel Entertainment has teamed up with charity Madlug on an initiative that aims to give bags to kids in care for every special Horrid Henry bag sold over the counter.

Madlug is a charity that aims to help kids who have experienced or are in care by giving them bags after realising many carried their worldly possessions around in bin bags. It operates on a ‘buy one give one’ approach, meaning that for every bag sold, the charity receives a packaway bag.

It’s teamed up with Novel Entertainment on the new backpack, available on Madlug. com. It is hoped the initiative will help Madlug’s aim of getting 90,000 bags to care experienced kids by 2024. It is already halfway to its target. With hordes of cosplayers, toy fanatics, geeks and nerds in attendance, the annual San Diego Comic Con saw studios, streaming platforms and more unveiling their big releases, movies, and TV programmes for the coming months and years.

And the slate revealed by the assorted companies gives a glimpse into the big franchises and licenses that will be appearing in stores later in 2022 and beyond as well as highlighting licensing opportunities.

Disney-owned Marvel revealed the next phase of its Marvel Cinematic Universe – phase five – but not after showing off trailers for two titles that will bring the curtain down on phase four, namely Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, due at cinemas, and SheHulk: Attorney At Lawe, which will air on Disney+.

Its phase five slate is ridiculously packed and sees some familiar faces and bankable properties returning.

The line-up includes (deep breath) Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania (February 2023), Secret Invasion (Spring 2023 on Disney+), Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 (May 2023), Hawkeye spin-off Echo (Summer 2023 on Disney+), Loki Season 2 (Summer 2023), The Marvels (July 2023), Ironheart (Autumn 2023 on Disney+), Blade (November 2023), WandaVision spin-off Agatha: Coven Of Chaos (Winter 2023/2024 on Disney+), Daredevil: Born Again (Spring 2024 on Disney+), Captain America: New World Order (May 2024) and Thunderbolts(July 2024).

One of the more interesting facets to note there is the return of Daredevil, this time on Disney+, after the first two aired at Netflix and the show was then pulled. The mammoth series will feature 18 episodes and stars Charlie Cox, as the titular man without fear, and villain Kingpin, played by Vincent D’Onofrio, will teturn,

Marvel supremo and leading creative for the studio Kevin Feige even went further and offered up a peek into the sixth phase of the MCU too. This means a fantastic licensing opportunity in the shape of the Fantastic Four film, which arrives in November 2024, with shooting starting next year; and, into 2025, two new Avengers films, The Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars, due in May and November of that year respectively.

Meanwhile, Warner and its DC arm were less noisy, but in the Black Adam and Shazam! trailers it boasted a couple of goodies that fans welcomed. The Netflix series take on DC comic book Sandman also aired a trailer.

Elsewhere, Paramount offered up a first look at its potential franchise based on the popular game Dungeons And Dragons, which is due at cinemas in March next year.

And there was more from Amazon, as another glimpse was given of its Prime Video spin on the JRR Tolkein classic The Lord Of The Rings.