Namco Bandai’s Gary Chantler explains to MCV why Ben 10 has become such an important brand for gaming
IT’S VERY easy to underestimate the power of a good kids franchise. A simple idea about a young boy with a magical watch has transformed into a cartoon brand that has grossed over $2 billion in retail sales across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. So far the Ben 10brand has clocked up five movies, four cartoon series and is about to release its seventh video game. On top of that it has a huge array of merchandise from clothes, lunch boxes, comic books and toys. In fact, 100 million Ben 10toys have been sold worldwide.
Ben 10 is consistently the number one boys’ action show across the biggest kids channel Cartoon Network.
“ Gary Chantler
“Ben 10is consistently the number one boys’ action show across the biggest kids channel, Cartoon Network, with a brand awareness of 93 per cent among its target audience of boys aged seven to nine,” says Namco Bandai’s product manager Gary Chantler.
“This has helped propel the licensees to the top of their own categories over the years and that includes the game, which has sold through well in excess of a million units in the UK since its first outing back in 2008.” The upcoming release of Ben 10: Omniversewill see the franchise hitting Nintendo’s Wii U console and all other major platforms. Omniverse sees main protagonist Ben Tennyson teleport back in time to become his 11-year old self so he can save robotic partner Rook from a malfunction. Previous games in the franchise Ben 10: Protector of Earthand Alien Forceboth sold in excess of 4.5
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million copies around the world. During 2010, both titles were mainstays in the GfK Chart-Track Top 40.
SUCCESS STORY
“The video games have absolutely contributed to Ben 10’s success,” says Chantler. “The TV show is fantastic but I’m sure we all know there is nothing like being able to actually interact with the characters we admire on our favourite show.
“The games have not only allowed players to be in Ben’s world but to also play as him and have the ability to transform to aliens just like the cartoon.” Ben 10: Omniversehas even taken on board feedback from parents and kids, and the new game has a co-op mode that allows them to play together on the same screen. The developer has also concentrated on replicating the look and feel of the cartoon’s cel-shading in the game. Releasing on the Wii U launch, Omniversehas plenty to compete with, but Chantler is confident: “There’s a ton of competition for Ben 10at launch and it’s really all about that stand product amongst other great IP. With the launch of the new series, Ben 10 Omniverse, right around the corner, along with the biggest support yet by Cartoon Network, I would be very surprised to not be talking about the next game in a year’s time.” Namco Bandai is kicking off a TV campaign for the game that will deliver 174 TVRs with an impact of over 8.3m. There’s also a huge print advertising campaign, which will appear in the official Ben 10 Magazine– a title that is still going strong with one of the biggest circulations of kids press. What’s impressive is that Ben 10 has only more space to grow. With more kids titles coming to market, sure it’s getting more competitive, but Ben 10has shown that an IP that tries to mature with its audience as well as continue to bring more young children under it’s umbrella is a successful one.