[a]listdaily Weekly: #SeeHer, Cause Fatigue And Livestreamageddon

Brovertising

When it comes to women in advertising, the industry has come a long way since the Mad Men era, but it’s still a long way from representing women authentically. To change that, the Alliance for Family Entertainment and the Association of National Advertisers recently launched an initiative called #SeeHer to tackle advertising’s biased depiction of women. By 2020, the AFE wants to see a “20-plus percent increase in the accurate portrayal of girls and women” by increasing the visibility of the issue and urging brands to “review their ads and ad development process for unconscious bias.” The AFE will be tracking to see if ads meet their criteria of accurately representing women, while featuring those that do on their website.

‘Cause’ They Can

The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has drawn to a close, and hundreds of proud brands are headed home with their shiny, new awards. While the festival saw a vast array of advertising, those most recognized fought for a cause, touched audiences on an emotional level, or took enormous risks. From Grand Prix winner, The Organic Effectpersuading Swedish families to eat better to Testimonies urging those testing negative for HIV to support those less fortunate, this year saw a popular trend of brands determined to leave a legacy.

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Hold on to something sturdy, because you’re about to get push notifications at a nuclear rate. Facebook’s phalanges are flexing some serious social muscle as a major video hub by signing 140 media companies and celebrities to create new content for its Facebook Live service. The move positions the social media giant to keep its 1.65 billion monthly users further engaged with livestreaming, exclusive video productions and more.

Yes, the world has become a fountain of live video, and if you haven’t jumped in already, it’s time to start making a splash. LIVESTREAM ALL THE THINGS!

Newzoo: Tencent Dominates Chinese Android Market

Newzoo has released a new report on the top 100 grossing Android games in May for the Chinese region and game publisher Tencent accounted for an amazing 44.5 percent of the Chinese mobile revenues.

Publishing 23 of the top 100 titles, Tencent’s MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena) King of Glory continues to be the company’s top performing title in terms of revenue, second only to Mojang’s Minecraft. The most installed title from Tencent was Happy Lord, a popular card game that is playable across both low and high end devices.

Tencent recently acquired Clash Royale developer Supercell and the investment is paying off. In May, Clash Royale landed the No. 3 spot in top downloaded games on 360 mobile assistant and No. 6 on the Baidu Mobile Assistant store. Action game Huo Ying Ren Zhe climbed into top 10 grossing games after being released only two months ago. In May, Tencent published 10 of the 20 top grossing titles.

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Kent Wakeford, the chief operating officer of Kabam who brought Marvel Contest of Champions to China, attributes Tencent’s success to its social element. “In-app chat is extremely popular in China,” Wakeford told [a]listdaily in a recent interview. “Tencent is often in the top 20, and a large part of that is because they have the power of WeChat, which is the largest social platform in China. It’s the power of that channel that can drive consumers into games and drive installs. We’ve been doing a lot of work with WeChat. We’ve spent marketing dollars there, and have seen the impact and benefits of marketing through those social channels.”

Sandbox titles like Minecraft are giving Tencent a run for its money, and with Terraria coming to Chinese markets in the near future, the two games may be competing for the top of the charts. With Southeast Asia representing 45 percent of the $99.6 billion dollar video game industry, brands are turning to the region to reach this lucrative market.

Twitter Introduces Stickers, New Dashboard App

Twitter continues to expand its user base by introducing new features to its mobile app. This week, it’s all about stickers, as well as a new dashboard, that’s set to draw in small businesses.

The company’s new virtual stickers can be put onto posted photos, similar to what Snapchat does with its various promoted filters. There are hundreds of different sticker types available, including many accessories like sunglasses, a king’s crown and masks ranging from animals to clowns.

On top of that, Twitter expects to release more themed sticker packs, as it’s done with recent “start of summer” and graduation packs. This could also open the door for potential marketing partners to offer their own sets of stickers. For example, ghosts stickers could be used to promote the new Ghostbusters movie.

Better still, users can search for stickers by using a hashtag search engine, and they can be searched to see how they’re being used in different user photos. Stickers are meant to fit on any photo, since they can be resized, rotated and layered with ease.

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The feature is currently in its test phase now, but it is expected to roll out to all mobile users within the next couple of weeks.

Sticker fans aren’t the only ones benefitting from Twitter this week, as another app will help out small businesses.

The company’s new Dashboard app lets business owners track social buzz about products and certain hashtags, as well as the ability to schedule tweets and see how well particular promotions form with tweets. Auto-generated ideas will also be provided in an effort to help create better messages down the road.

Bigger businesses already benefit from Twitter’s partnership program, so the idea behind the Dashboard is to help smaller businesses get off the ground. It’s a variation of the Engage app the company introduced last week, which is meant to help influencers and celebrities do pretty much the same thing when it comes to outreach.

The Dashboard app is already available to download for both web and iOS, for those that want to see what it has to offer. Smaller businesses should definitely give it a try.

How ‘Gordon Ramsay DASH’ Is Another Winning Dish For Glu Mobile

Glu Mobile, maker of the ever popular Kim Kardashian: Hollywood, recently released a new free-to-play mobile game. This time, instead of featuring fashion or pop music personalities, the company is taking the highly addictive gameplay from its Diner DASH and Cooking DASH games and adding some extra flavor by featuring celebrity chef, Gordon Ramsay. With these ingredients, Gordon Ramsay DASH is an experience that cannot be missed.

Internationally renowned chef Ramsay stars in several television shows, with one of the most prominent ones being Hell’s Kitchen, where he is all at once a judge, taskmaster and mentor. That personality, which can sometimes seem as hot dishes being served, is being brought to players in Gordon Ramsay DASH. In it, players are challenged to balance between numerous tasks around the kitchen to make sure patrons are served promptly. Doing well earns Ramsay’s approval and “wichelin” stars (inspired by Michelin Stars, which Chef Ramsay is quite fond of), while providing the funds to upgrade your kitchen’s equipment, as you open a chain of restaurants and become a celebrity chef.

Glu’s president and CEO, Niccolo de Masi, talks with [a]listdaily about featuring the culinary master in Gordon Ramsay DASH, and perhaps provide hints on how to avoid his wrath.

Niccolo de Masi, Glu Mobile President, CEO & Chairman
Niccolo de Masi, Glu Mobile President, CEO & Chairman

What is Gordon Ramsay DASH about?

Gordon Ramsay DASH is the newest Glu Mobile title, providing a spin on the storied DASH franchise that offers players the unique, high-stakes experience of building a restaurant empire while being mentored by Chef Gordon Ramsay himself.

What makes Gordon Ramsay the ideal person to feature in a mobile game?

Glu’s celebrity partners are all masters of their chosen fields. Gordon Ramsay is a remarkably accomplished figure in both the culinary world and the entertainment industry. Having opened critically-acclaimed restaurants worldwide, while starring in several highly-rated TV programs, he is the most popular and well-recognized chef in the world. When thinking of our next partner, pairing him with the DASH franchise was a recipe for success!

Recent Glu games have featured actors, fashion designers, and pop music stars. How does promoting an experience starring a celebrity chef differ in comparison?

For all Glu games featuring a celebrity, players want an honest glimpse into their lives. While for our role-playing games like Kim Kardashian: Hollywood and Britney Spears: American Dream we’ve tried to emulate life events for Kim Kardashian West or Britney Spears, for Gordon Ramsay, the gameplay at hand is different. Gordon Ramsay DASH is focused around time management, but still maintains those personal Glu touches, making it evident Gordon was deeply involved every step of the way.

How did you decide on the best way to represent him in the game?

The way we landed on Chef Gordon Ramsay’s in-game persona was completely collaborative. He’s been a terrific partner throughout the development process. Gordon was highly involved from day one, providing feedback on artwork, dialogue and even conceptualizing the games “wichelin” mechanic.

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Ramsay is perhaps best known for being a hard pressing taskmaster on TV. How does that personality come out in Gordon Ramsay DASH?

It was important that Gordon Ramsay DASH portray the intensity that comes along with rising up the ranks in the restaurant business. His character is a mentor to the player’s growth within the game; players travel to top venues serving delicious fare while starring in a reality cooking show. If you do well, you’ll get Chef Ramsay’s praise. However if you burn something, look out!

Samsung And NBC Are Bringing The Olympics To Virtual Reality

NBC is gearing up for an unprecedented slate of Olympics programming this summer for the Rio Games, and along with broadcasting all of its events on television, it’s shooting to bring the experience to a whole new platform—virtual reality.

The company announced today that it will introduce VR coverage of the Olympic Games to Samsung Galaxy smartphones and Samsung Gear VR through its specialized NBC Sports app. It’s expected to broadcast over 85 hours of VR programming over the course of the event, along with the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, which are set to immerse viewers like never before.

Though the programming will be on delay, it will take showcase gymnastics to track and field to beach volleyball, among other sports.

“The world’s greatest sporting event is always a showcase for cutting edge technology, and we’re thrilled to partner with Samsung and Olympic Broadcasting Services to bring our viewers even closer to compelling Olympic action with virtual reality,” said Gary Zenkel, president of NBC Olympics. “Olympic fans can be transported to iconic venues such as Maracana Stadium for an unprecedented view of the Opening Ceremony, and Copacabana Beach for an immersive beach volleyball experience in the sport’s ultimate setting.”

“Fans of the Olympics will now get to experience the world’s best athletes as they compete in some of the most popular events of Rio 2016 in a whole new way: through virtual reality,” added Marc Mathieu, chief marketing officer at Samsung. “We are thrilled to work with NBC and OBS on this first-of-its-kind endeavor, connecting fans right to the action in Rio, powered by 360-degree storytelling, virtual reality and our Galaxy phones.”

Samsung has already put these services to good use. Taken from the documentary A Fighting Chance, the feature focuses on a pair of Olympic volleyball hopefuls from Vanuatu as they train for the upcoming games.

The move into virtual reality is a smart one for NBC, and serves as a potential testing ground for the use of the technology with future promotions NHL, boxing and possibly even other programming. In May, NBC broadcast the Kentucky Derby in 360-degree video. CBS and Fox have both tested VR for sporting events, too.

For now, users can definitely make the most out of the Olympic coverage and see what it feels like to be there in some capacity.

Apple Users Spend Twice As Much On Mobile Games Than Android Players

It’s no secret that free-to-play games, even the most popular ones, rely on a small minority of paying players (especially high-spending “whales”) for revenues, and it’s always a challenge to find and attract users willing to spend money on virtual goods. However, AppsFlyer is helping to shed some light on the matter with a new report titled The State of In-App Spending, which examines the spending habits of mobile gamers from around the world. As it turns out, Apple iOS device users happen to be the biggest spenders.

The report first discusses monetization, with revenue generated by app developers between in-app advertising, premium models and purchases. Back in 2011, paid-for apps led the charge, but as of late, in-app purchases and advertising have taken over more than 50 percent combined compared to full-price apps. By next year, that number is expected to grow by an additional ten percent.

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Perhaps one of the biggest find of the report deals with iOS versus Android spending, as the numbers indicate that users spend more on Apple’s platform. In-app purchases make up $1.08 compared to Android’s $.43, while the average purchase of gaming apps is at $12.77 for iOS and $6.19 for Android—double the amount.

The report also covered monthly in-app spend and average purchase per user divided by countries (for April/May 2016), and Asia scored big in this department, with the highest numbers on the chart. $.70 for IAP (all users) was noted in this country, along with $10.65 for average purchases. Meanwhile, other countries, like North America and Europe, reported lower amounts.

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Asia has the highest number of paying users by region, barely beating North America by .1 percent (5.9 percent compared to 5.8 percent). They’re both higher than the 5.2 percent global average, with Europe close behind with five percent.

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AppsFlyer also discussed “whales,” which make up 3.5 percent of overall gamers that make in-app purchases, but spend approximately 30 times more than the average gamer—by a rough comparison of $9.39 vs. $.32 a month per gaming app. It also noted that North American shoppers generally spend about $2.68 on in-app purchases per title, with a 2.5 times higher total than the average European app shopper. It also beat Asia by three times the amount. The average in-app purchase value comes up to $42.82, which is four times what Asian customers spend, which is around $11.13.

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AppsFlyer’s head of marketing, Ran Avrahamy, sat down with [a]listdaily to discuss the report more thoroughly, providing further insight on iOS and Android spending habits.

Ran Avrahamy
Ran Avrahamy, AppsFlyer head of marketing

What do you believe accounts for such a significant spending difference between iOS and Android users?

iOS users have always outspent Android users. A large part of the reason why could be the type of person who buys an iOS device, which tends to be fairly expensive, compared to the type of person who buys an Android device, many of which are on the more affordable end of the spectrum. Some people have speculated that iOS users spend more because most iOS users already have their credit card and payment information loaded into iTunes, so the payment process is more streamlined, but we believe that is less of a factor these days.

Does the comparatively higher number of Android users make up the difference? 

Yes, that is certainly a factor that developers must consider. iOS users may spend more, but Android’s lead in overall market share makes the platform impossible to ignore from a business and revenue opportunity perspective.

Is there something particular about the iOS platform that encourages higher spending? Conversely, is there something about Android that leads to lower spending?

The more streamlined payment process in iOS could certainly be one factor, but as mentioned earlier we don’t feel it’s a significant factor. The Android platform has improved greatly over the years to make in-app payments easier and more friction-free, so the differences are more likely attributable to differences in user types.

Do you think there is anything that can be done by either app or platform developers to grow the Android spending numbers?

One thing that developers can do is try targeting Android audiences that are likely to be more affluent, whether that means targeting them by device type (going after owners of high-end Android smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy S7, the Nexus 6P, or the HTC 10), location (by targeting countries that spend the most, like those in Asia), age, income or other available parameters.

Given the findings, is it better for developers to focus mainly or exclusively on the iOS platform?

While iOS users typically spend more, Android’s market share is much greater than iOS’—and according to new reports, it is still growing. So developers would be foolish to completely ignore the majority of users. In fact, for certain categories—like utility apps—it might make sense for developers to focus solely on Android, since users spend much more often within this category on Android than they do on iOS. There can also be lower costs for paid promotion of Android apps, which broadens the potential for attracting users that do have a high lifetime value.

Overall, we recommend that a balanced approach makes the most sense to build a sustainable business. Developers should always be exploring, testing and measuring the activities that drive the highest quality users to their apps on both platforms.

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Bluehole Exec Explains ESports Potential For ‘PLAYERUNKNOWN’S Battlegrounds’

Korean game publisher Bluehole is expanding beyond its MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game) roots of Tera and Devilian by partnering with Brendan Greene (aka PLAYERUNKNOWN), the Irish developer behind the popular Battle Royale gameplay mode for Arma 3 and H1Z1. PLAYERUNKNOWN’s Battlegrounds is being designed from the ground up as a standalone Battle Royale player versus player game.

The open world PC game strands up to 64 players on a remote island without any gear or resources. Players then enter a last-man-standing competition where they try to locate weapons, vehicles and supplies in a graphically and tactically rich battleground in order to survive. Ultimately, the players battle it out in a winner-takes-all showdown in a shrinking arena that engages them in a tense fight to the death.

Dr. Chang Han Kim, production director at Bluehole, has grown an audience of over 25 million players with Tera. He’s now working with the recently relocated Greene on the new game. He talks to [a]listdaily about the company’s eSports hopes and how this new game is being designed for a global audience in this exclusive interview.

Why are you expanding into the Western market?

Bluehole has always been very active in pursuing the Western market through Tera, especially through our Seattle-based subsidiary, En Masse Entertainment. Tera has been very successful in the west, thanks to the combined efforts of Bluehole and En Masse Entertainment. However, a lot has changed since we launched Tera, and at this point, we see a global gaming market more than individual territories. I believe our upcoming project is part of a larger movement of developers launching games for the global audience.

Why did you decide to partner with Brendan Greene for your first Western game?

I was primarily an MMORPG developer throughout my career, but I always had my eyes on Battle Royale gameplay on multiple platforms. After deciding that I wanted my next game to be in the Battle Royale genre, it was an easy decision to try and get the original creator of the genre, PLAYERUNKNOWN, on board as no one has a clearer vision on the genre than the creator himself, who has been living and breathing Battle Royale for over four years. I am very certain that when PLAYERUNKNOWN’s vision of the genre meets Bluehole’s development and art expertise, we’ll be able to provide a truly exciting Battle Royale experience set in a realistic open world with deep gameplay and strong combat mechanics.

How does Brendan Greene fit into the Bluehole Alliance, and how has that development consortium been working out?

Bluehole has been dedicated to pursuing the global market for a very long time, and bringing the Battle Royale and modding expertise of PLAYERUNKNOWN from Ireland to Korea when he joined the team as the creative director is very much in sync with what we hope to accomplish as a company. The collaboration is going very smoothly and PLAYERUNKNOWN’s clear vision on the project has been extremely advantageous in making progress with our development.

I kicked off my discussions with PLAYERUNKNOWN thinking to myself, “Why can’t a global project be developed by a global team?” When we started talking, I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that we already had so much in common in how we envision the Battle Royale genre, and everything pretty much took off from that point on. There are even more “global” developers joining, so we have quite a diverse team at this point.

What will differentiate Battlegrounds from Brendan Greene’s past mods in terms of the gameplay experience?

PLAYERUNKNOWN’s vision on the project has been very clear from day one. We are focused on creating a complete Battle Royale experience that provides an in-depth loot system with large arrays of items and attachments for weapons, strong combat mechanics, and a realistic open world setting where strategies—alongside your gun skills—really do matter

Our primary goal is to create a Battle Royale game that’s highly competitive, balanced, and fun to play, and we plan on adding more game modes in the future to provide diverse experiences.

How will your company’s publishing background help Brendan Greene with this development?

Throughout our experiences developing Tera and seeing how well it is doing not only in Asia but also in the West, I believe that Bluehole is capable of creating games that can truly be globally appealing. We have very high standards for our quality. I believe that with the expertise we have gained over the years of developing MMO games and with PLAYERUNKNOWN’s vision being so strong, we can really build a compelling Battle Royale standalone game.

What business model will you employ with Battlegrounds?

It’s still quite early of a development stage, so nothing has been confirmed yet, but we will be targeting to release this as a paid title, rather a free-to-play one.

How do you think the success you’ve had with games in Korea will translate to marketing this game to a Western audience?

Thanks to En Masse Entertainment, we’ve had much success in bringing Tera to our Western audiences over the years, and there could be many areas where we could capitalize on our past experiences to try to better market our new project. However, there are also many differences between the two games (business model, genre, timing of the launch, etc.) so we’ll always need to adapt and find what’s the most appropriate for this new project. First and foremost, we’re focused on creating a good game, but we plan to conduct a very open development process as well. We hope to get very closely engaged with the community, share a lot of the stuff that takes place in our office, seek feedback as much as possible, and just really focus on creating a good game.

How much crossover has there been for Tera and Devilian in the US?

Since Tera and Devilian are both fantasy MMORPGs, there is a certain amount of crossover between the audiences for the two games. Our main goal is servicing the players of each individual franchise, but we keep an eye out to see if there’s something that can work for both games. It’s good to share learning between franchises.

Daybreak Games has turned Brendan Greene’s H1Z1 mod into an eSport. What eSports opportunities do you see for Battlegrounds?

I believe that the Battle Royale genre has great potential to become a major eSport, and that was one of the common visions that I shared with PLAYERUNKNOWN. However, we also agreed that before committing ourselves to turning Battlegrounds into an eSport, it is much more important for us to be focusing on creating a good game that can be suitable for an eSport. The competitive balance and tuning has to come first, then we’ll explore the possibilities.

What opportunities has eSports opened up for marketing games to a global audience today?

I believe that there are more people watching Battle Royale games being played on Twitch than those actually playing them. This genre is not only fun to play, but also very fun to watch. This trait itself makes it very attractive and opens up many possibilities for it to become an eSport.

Outside of Blizzard (World of Warcraft) and ArenaNet (Guild Wars 2) there haven’t been many MMO eSports. What opportunities do you see for your existing games in that arena? 

Based on my 16 years of experience developing MMORPGs, it is very difficult to turn an MMORPG into an eSport, mainly due to the characters’ growth factors. A Battle Royale game, for instance, makes more sense since every player starts the match on equal footing.

American Express’ Facebook Chat Bot Blends Finance And Contextual Tips

American Express has upped the ante in their social strategy by embracing Facebook Messenger chat bots in order to serve as a modern concierge for US cardholders.

The financial services corporation previewed their Amex bot initiative and demonstrated their pilot plans in an activation at Cannes-Lions Innovation festival in France last week by showcasing real-time notifications and purchase alerts, restaurant recommendations and more.

“Partnering with Facebook gives us the chance to explore different types of real-time features that are possible for us to deliver to our card members in Messenger, allowing us the opportunity to be a part of a card member’s journey every step of the way,” Matthew Sueoka, vice president of digital partnerships and development for American Express, told [a]listdaily in an interview. “The concept we demoed at Cannes shows how we can help card members who opt in to the Amex bot for Messenger stay on top of their purchases and take advantage of their card’s many benefits. The scale and flexibility of the Messenger platform makes it a powerful channel for us to explore new ways to connect with our card members.”

Expected to launch in the next few months for eligible US Consumer and OPEN customers, Amex describes a possible scenario unfolding like so: “For example, if a platinum card member purchases an airline ticket from Las Vegas to New York City, he or she would receive a purchase notification in Messenger and then may also receive a helpful reminder about how to access The Centurion Lounge at the airport, as well as restaurant recommendations, courtesy of The Infatuation, for the upcoming trip.”

Sueoka says the activation was designed to make the lives of their consumers simpler, easier and more streamlined, and that they look forward to hearing more from their card members in the coming months. For now, the bot will engage in dialogue through automated messaging consisting of answers to “yes-or-no questions.” It’s yet to be determined if deeper conversations will take place with cardholders and customer service representatives.

“There are a lot of possibilities in terms of what we can build on top of Messenger, and our team is thinking through the opportunities and is excited to test out these new concepts with our card members who opt in,” Sueoka says. “Given that this is a concept at present, we will have more details when the pilot launches.”

The finance giant didn’t become fast friends with Facebook overnight, either. The two platforms have partnered in the past in a series of Amex marketing initiatives including discounts and special offers based on “likes” and interest, as well as letting cardholders redeem their Membership Rewards points for Facebook Ads credit.

“Facebook was one of the first places we brought the Amex Offers platform, and it was a true jumping-off point for us,” Sueoka says. “We are thrilled to continue to work with them to offer innovative experiences for our card members.”

Amex is continuing to pioneer programs in digital innovation to further boost user engagement and loyalty. It’s a core company pillar further echoed in their 2015 annual report.

It’s also a strategy that brands like Bank of America, 1-800-Flowers and the NBA, which debuted a bot earlier this month just in time for the Finals, have already capitalized on after Facebook’s chat bot initiative that was announced during April’s F8 developer conference.

Mattel and Uber are just some of the others embracing and jumping on the big bot bandwagon, too. There are also startups like Sequel who enable brands and content creators by developing synthetic personas to engage users.

The chat bot infrastructures are already in place. Whether or not consumers will be engaged enough in an authentic way to continue the conversation remains to be seen.

Follow Manouk Akopyan on Twitter @Manouk_Akopyan

Kabam’s Next Ambitious Project Heads To Pandora With ‘Avatar’

Interactive entertainment company Kabam has already proven to be a force to be reckoned with in the mobile world, especially with popular titles like Lord of the Rings: Legends of Middle-Earth, Star Wars: Uprising and Marvel: Contest of Champions. But that isn’t stopping the company from stepping into new territory because it’s about to take on one of the biggest franchises to date.

The company has announced that it’s working alongside Lightstorm Entertainment and 20th Century Fox Film to create a strategy game based on the world of James Cameron’s 2009 film Avatar. As with previous titles Kabam has worked on, the game will feature a focus on massively multiplayer online (MMO) action, built around developing strategies in the world of Pandora.

Kabam will work closely with Lightstorm to re-immerse fans into the world of Avatar just in time for its anticipated cinematic sequel—expected to arrive sometime in December 2018.

“We develop games that people return to and play for years, and the Avatar game will deliver new and unexpected thrills to gamers for the foreseeable future,” said Kent Wakeford, chief operating officer of Kabam, about the project. “James Cameron and the Avatar franchise are synonymous with groundbreaking technology and pushing the envelope. We plan to live up to those standards by creating the best triple-A massively multiplayer mobile game possible for the franchise.”

The game will feature characters and environments from the movie universe, with consistent updates, including potential missions that could tie in with not just the sequel, but other films. Cameron currently has four different Avatar sequels on the slate, with plenty of room for the game to expand.

“Kabam has an excellent reputation for building compelling mobile games that explore detailed worlds, which makes them an ideal partner for our franchise,” said Jon Landau, Avatar producer and chief operating officer of Lightstorm Entertainment. “The world of Pandora is massive, far beyond what we are able to include in our feature films, and we think fans will be excited by the level of additional depth and detail that they will be able to experience in this game.”

Even in the shadow of big franchises like Star Wars and Marvel, Kabam considers Avatar its biggest project to date, especially considering the original film’s massive $2.8 billion box office haul. “Much like the Avatar films, this mobile game will bring a brand new experience to players everywhere. Phones and tablets will become high-fidelity windows into a living, breathing, interactive world of stunning beauty,” said Mike Verdu, president of studios and chief creative officer of Kabam. “The company has put forward one of the largest development budgets in mobile gaming history and assigned some of its top talent. The final product is going to be amazing.”

There’s no word on when the game will release, but it’s likely that Kabam will take its time with it and release it right when the movie sequel begins building up toward a release.

Considering Kabam’s previous track record with mobile games, Avatar should have no trouble finding a strong mobile audience.

Why Brands Are ‘Streaming’ To VidCon

Wrapping up its seventh year, VidCon is an annual conference in Anaheim, California that celebrates the power of online video. In 2015, over 21,000 fans, creators and industry leaders united to network, learn and foster self-expression for the entertainment of the masses. This year, among an even larger sea of hopefuls talking into their cameras, big brands set out to attract the next big influencer.

Among them, Warner Bros. promoted its upcoming movie Fantastic Beasts with a spell-casting booth. NBC had a two-course American Ninja Warrior challenge complete with spinning logs and warped walls. Nickelodeon brought back its popular casting booth and had a special Legends of the Hidden Temple promotion, heralding the show’s return.

Netflix, meanwhile, offered couches, photo booths and interactive sets to promote its shows The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Fuller House, Gilmore Girls and, of course, Haters Back Off, an upcoming show starring YouTube influencer Colleen Ballinger-Evans. A day ahead of VidCon, Netflix also announced an untitled unscripted series about Vine star Cameron Dallas.

Hasbro was on-hand with game and toy demos, including the now-infamous Pie Face game, which took off after a video of a grandfather and grandson playing together turned viral. “What we’re seeing in marketing in general right now is, brands used to tell consumers what brands are, now consumers are telling consumers,” Victor Lee, Hasbro’s senior vice president of digital marketing, told [a]listdaily.

Nestlé attended VidCon to promote SweetTarts with an interactive booth. “Digital is obviously extremely important, and I think every brand really needs to be there now.” Meghan Erickson, Nestlé’s brand manager, told [a]listdaily, noting an immediate response from attendees. “We’ve already seen some tremendous numbers. I mean, these guys have millions of followers, so it’s really interesting to not only see the likes but it’s the shares and the comments. We want to engage with these people in a way that’s meaningful. That’s what’s important to us in building a long-term partnership as well as a connection for our consumers to SweeTarts.”

With YouTube stepping up mobile livestreaming and original programming, brands are quickly locking-in to captivate consumers.