Category: Industry Insights

Aiming To Rival Hello Kitty: Sony Invests Heavily In Original MascotIP Project, StressedOut Bear “Nemu” Emerges As Leading Candidate, Targeting ¥10 Billion Annual Revenue by 2030 Sony Creative Products (SCP), the characterIP management division within Sony Group, has kicked off a largescale originalcharacter incubation initiative. The company intends to build a globallyappealing allage mascot comparable[…..] […]

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Two Iconic Cross-Generational Kids IPs Join Forces! Talking Tom & Friends: World Rolls Out Full The Smurfs Limited-Time Game Update With Mushroom Village & Classic Characters August 4, 2026 — Outfit7, the world-famous digital entertainment creator, announced a landmark major update for Talking Tom & Friends: World, its exclusive sandbox mobile game built specifically for[…..] […]

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Long celebrated as a core pillar of North America’s video game ecosystem, Vancouver has cemented its standing as a world-leading hub for mobile game development, built upon decades of accumulated talent reserves, cross-industry creative synergy, collaborative studio culture, government fiscal incentives, and unrivalled livability that draws global creative professionals. As Canada’s Pacific creative gateway, Vancouver[…..] […]

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Mixed Results Across Business Divisions Amid Japan’s “Profitless Boom” Industry Challenge Kadokawa Corporation published its consolidated financial results for the first quarter of fiscal year 2026 (AprilJune 2026). The group recorded total net sales of 68.252 billion yen, up 5.3% yearonyear. Due to extraordinary loss of 5.374 billion yen from severance payments under its voluntary[…..] […]

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Japan-France Co-Production A New Dawn Redefines Cross-Cultural Animated Collaboration, Merging Japanese 2D Hand-Drawn Art with French Stop-Motion Craft Featured in an official report by France’s National Centre for Cinema and Moving Image (CNC), A New Dawn (French title Une aube nouvelle, Japanese title Hana Rokusho ga Akeru Hi ni) marks a landmark achievement in Franco-Japanese animation co-production.[…..] […]

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YouTube Raises Entry Barriers for New Creators Twofold, Industry Shifts Toward Premium Content; Independent Animators Bear the Brunt   On August 10, YouTube, owned by Alphabet Inc., unveiled sweeping revisions to its YouTube Partner Program (YPP), announcing it would double core viewership eligibility metrics for all new creators seeking ad revenue sharing, effective February 1,[…..] […]

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Modern Times Group MTG AB (publ) (“MTG”) is proud to unveil Playamp, the new brand for its Midcore District. The brand reflects the district’s position as a leading ecosystem for scaling in-app purchase (IAP) driven games, with a distinct identity that attracts and supports talent, games and studios. Built on the belief that great games[…..] […]

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France’s National Centre for Cinema and Moving Image (CNC) has published an exclusive in-depth interview with globally renowned animation studio Mikros Animation, unpacking its differentiated industry positioning. Unlike technical subcontractors that merely replicate client-provided visual briefs, Mikros Animation positions itself as a core creative partner armed with elite animation and 3D expertise, embedding its creative[…..] […]

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