Asmodee Entertainment teams with Ablaze for Spot It! graphic novel

Asmodee Entertainment has entered into an agreement with publisher ABLAZE to produce a graphic novel based on Spot It!, the award-winning visual perception game from Asmodee’s Zygomatic games studio.

Spot It! (known as Dobble outside North America) is a gaming phenomenon and worldwide bestseller in the family games market.

Rich Young, ABLAZE VP Creative & Managing Editor, says: “We’re very excited to be working with the team at Asmodee on this project, and on such an iconic global brand. We are planning to deliver something unique and fun here, that I think fans of the game and graphic novel fans will both enjoy immensely.”  

Characters from the game, including Dobbly, the famous anthropomorphic hand that features in the game’s logo, will appear in an original adventure story written by Derek Fridolfs and illustrated by Gabriele Bagnoli. Derek is the New York Times bestselling writer of the Secret Hero Society series and the Eisner-nominated co-writer of Batman Li’l Gotham, and has worked for a range of publishers including Scholastic, DC Comics, Disney, and more.  Gabriele is a talented artist, and a part of Arancia Studio, who has worked on projects like Snow White for Disney, as well as Steven Universe for BOOM, and for other publishers such as Dark Horse, Glenat and Dupuis.

 “I am so very glad that with Rich and the ABLAZE team we found such a passionate partner,” says Alexander Thieme, Licensing Manager at Asmodee Entertainment. “Seeing the first art concepts and reading the first story bits show me that this project is going to be a very popular addition to the brand family and will bring old and new fans so much new joy.” 

The Spot It! graphic novel will be available to retailers through Diamond Comics and Diamond Book Distributors and is due to launch in Summer 2022, with further details expected soon.

Asmodee to launch PAW Patrol, Pixar, Marvel, and Minions licensed Dobble

Asmodee is launching four new licensed editions of its hit speed observation game Dobble this year thanks to a slew of partnerships with PAW Patrol, Pixar, Marvel, and Minions.

Dobble, a game in which players must spot a single matching image between two cards, has grown into a national phenomenon in recent years, becoming the UK’s best-selling game of 2018 and 2019 per NPD Group data.

The game has made a success of previously launched licensed editions through partnerships with The Gruffalo, LOL Surprise, and Harry Potter. In fact, it’s according to Asmodee that the Harry Potter edition practically flew off the shelves throughout 2019.

Beginning with Dobble Pixar, the four new games will be released across 2021, offering new opportunities for fans of each property to find a new way to enjoy the fast-playing game of Dobble.

“Dobble is a game whose format lends itself very well to great licensing crossovers, which we’ve already seen with the phenomenal success of the likes of Harry Potter Dobble,” said Anil Boodhoo, Asmodee UK’s national channel director.

“We’re excited to be partnering with four iconic brands on an ambitious release schedule as we continue to take Dobble from strength to strength.”

Retailers will be able to get an up-close look at these new editions, as well as find out what else is next for the Dobble brand and discover other major new additions to the Asmodee catalogue, at the third edition of AsmoFair – Asmodee’s own virtual trade show.

Running from January 17 to 23rd 2021, the event now features a 360-degree virtual tour of a fully built show stand that brings attendees even closer to the feel of an in-person show. With weekend and evening meeting slots available, retailers can head to asmofair.co.uk for more information or to book a meeting.

The Asmodee Group is opening its games portfolio up to interactive and video game developers

The Asmodee Group, a powerhouse in tabletop gaming and board game entertainment, is looking to bring its portfolio of brands and IPs into the interactive video games and digital games market.

In the firm’s latest move, it is opening the floodgates to developers in the video gaming sector, eyeing partnerships for physical game brands within its portfolio, including the likes of Dobble (Spot It), Ticket to Ride, Pandemic, Braintopia, Small World, KeyForge, or heavyweight titles like Legend of the Five Rings and Twilight Imperium.

The boardgame goliath is urging developers looking for publishing partnerships, including development and marketing supports, to connect with Asmodee Digital via the unit’s COO Nicolas Godement. Developers and publishers looking to create interactive titles under license meanwhile, are being guided towards the Asmodee Entertainment team.

With more than 250 Asmodee games and IPs in the company catalogue, there are many exciting new opportunities for developers and publishers in the interactive games market.

“Asmodee has established a world-leading platform for developing and publishing authentic and compelling digital versions of the best board and card games,” said Nicolas Godement, Asmodee Digital’s COO.

“Now, while we can’t wait to disclose some of the exciting titles we have been working on, and to sign new ones, we also look forward to working with the experienced licensing team at Asmodee Entertainment to further expand the range of interactive games based on our sterling array of Asmodee properties.”

Andy Jones, head of Asmodee Entertainment, added: “This is a fantastic opportunity for developers, publishers and of course, Asmodee Entertainment to enter into many new licensing partnerships and further explore the wealth of Asmodee titles through interactive games across all platforms and genres.

“We encourage developers and publishers to get in touch at licensing@asmodee.com, and meet up with us at GDC in March.”