BlackMilk partners with Nintendo to launch Super Mario and Animal Crossing: New Horizons collections

The globally loved Nintendo franchises, Super Mario and Animal Crossing: New Horizons are finding a new footing in the fashion world, thanks to a partnership between the video game maker and apparel specialist, Black Milk Clothing.

Renowned for its unique take on licensed collaborations, BlackMilk Clothing is offering gaming fans a new way to express their love for both Super Mario and Animal Crossing through the brand’s signature styles, including leggings, dresses, overalls, and more.

BlackMilk x Super Mario will be the first of the two collections to be released, going live at 7am on October, 6th 2020. The collection features some of the franchise’s favourite characters, including Princess Peach, Yoshi, Bowser and, of course, Mario. It will also feature the game’s iconic power-ups and numerous items. Active wear and unisex pieces are on offer alongside a variety of fun outerwear styles. 

Meanwhile, customers will then be treated to an entirely new collection when BlackMilk x Animal Crossing: New Horizons is released a week later, landing at 7am on October 13th, 2020.

Fans of the Nintendo Switch game will be able to shop a range of pieces featuring their favourite islanders and collectibles. Alongside BlackMilk’s signature bold printed styles, the collection includes designer pieces made with specially created fabrics, such as a unique flocked Timmy and Tommy design. 

BlackMilk is expecting both collection ‘to be hugely popular, with some limited edition pieces likely to sell out fast.’

Nintendo partners with Velan Studios to bring mixed reality gaming experience to Mario Kart

Nintendo has partnered with the tech specialist Velan Studios to launch a new Mario Kart mixed reality experience that will turn a player’s home into a Mario Kart racecourse to be traversed in both the physical and virtual worlds.

Called Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit, the new mixed reality game is launching to the Nintendo Switch next month and combines a camera-enabled physical ,’remote controlled’ Mario Kart and course gate markers that together will turn any living space into a Mario Kart circuit. Players can design and construct courses in the real world, before racing the circuit in a mixed reality experience.

“We are thrilled to partner with Velan Studios for Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit,” said Tom Prata, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of strategic initiatives. “Through this collaboration, we are providing fans with a one of a kind, interactive experience that is only available on the Nintendo Switch family of systems.”

The system will allow Nintendo Switch users to set out a course in the real world, using the game’s physical Gate markers. They can then ‘remotely control’ their physical Mario Kart around the course. Each Kart features its own camera that will translate the course setting and physical surroundings onto the player’s screen – either their Switch screen or connected TV – where the Mario Kart experience will be made complete with the addition of the high-octane action and in-game brawling.

Velan Studios is building on the legacy of its founders Karthik and Guha Bala and their core team, renowned for their innovations in fusing toys with interactive game experiences.

“Our mission at Velan is to create breakthrough games that are magic,” said Karthik Bala, CEO, Velan Studios. “We invented the initial mixed reality hardware and game prototype to really nail the exhilaration of racing in the real world with the play and feel of a video game.

“We showed the experience to Nintendo and were thrilled they saw its potential. That started a wonderful multi-year creative collaboration, which became Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit. We can’t wait to see the creative ways fans play when they race around their own creations as Mario and Luigi.”

To learn more about Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit, visit https://www.nintendo.com/. The game will be released by Nintendo worldwide on October 16, 2020.

PAW Patrol, Star Wars and LEGO Nintendo among Argos’ top 12 Toys for Christmas 2020 picks

Argos has revealed its top 12 toys for Christmas 2020 in anticipation of the Christmas toy shopping season and a nation that ‘has rekindled its love for toys,’ through more time spent at home throughout lockdown. Among the top toys, PAW Patrol, Star Wars, and LEGO’s Super Mario collection all feature.

With less than 200 days to go until December 25th, the British store predicts LEGO Lamborghini, Baby Yoda and a pooping flamingo to be among its top sellers this Christmas, while this season will see consumers tap into nostalgia-fuelled shopping driven by the lockdown and time spent at home.

According to research carried out by Argos, more than a fifth of parents plan to gift their child something that conjures memories of their own childhood this year. It goes some way to explain why the likes of Star Wars and LEGO’s Nintendo Super Mario range are among the predicted top sellers for 2020.

Juliet Ward, head of toy buying at Argos, said: “With so much time spent inside during lockdown, the nation has rekindled its love for toys, turning to them now more than ever to keep themselves entertained during what has been a difficult time for many.

‘This year’s top toys list offers a huge variety of new products, ranging from toys inspired by the biggest TV and gaming franchises to bizarre – but crucially, fun – pooping animals.

‘When we craft the list of our top toy predictions for the year, we always try to accurately gauge the “toy crazes” that are set to make thousands of wish lists.

‘This year it’s heartening to see so many toys that will encourage families to spend time together, whether that’s putting together a LEGO Lamborghini or reminiscing over the Mario games of the 80s and 90s.”

An animatronic doll of The Child from The Mandalorian – affectionately known as Baby Yoda – is expected to be one of this year’s biggest hits, joined by the LEGO Adventures with Mario Starter Course, enabling fans to recreate the iconic platform game in brick form.

As Argos’ research goes on to suggest that 40 per cent of parents are set to purchase more toys that encourage active and imaginative play this year, the retailer is firmly tapping into the trend with its Little Live Pets Gotta Go Flamingo that tells kids when it has to sit on its potty. Joining it is the Poopsie Dancing Unicorn.

Familiar faces come in the form of new toys from LOL Surprise and PAW Patrol. Spin Master’s PAW Patrol Dino Rescue Dino Patroller is joined by the LOL Surprise OMG Fashion Dolls Series 3.

The £350 LEGO Technic Lamborghini denotes a desire for the high-end toy lines this year, while the £60 KidiZoom Studio reflects the youth’s lean in to the world of TikTok and YouTube. The list is rounded out with the Hatchimals Pixies Crystal Flyers, and Laser Battle Hunters, promoting active play.

LEGO and Nintendo unveil the LEGO NES building kit

It’s official, LEGO and Nintendo have responded to the question we never knew we needed answering, with the official unveiling of the LEGO Nintendo Entertainment System building kit for adults; letting us all relive the nostalgia of yesteryear in brick form.

The new kit is the latest product of the ongoing LEGO Group and Nintendo partnership, offering fans a brick-built NES model that comes with realistic details, including the accompanying 1980s style LEGO television set to encourage (like they need much of it) nostalgic gamers and LEGO fans to recreate their Super Mario Bros childhood moments.

Fans can build a mechanically functional version of the console, while each kit will include a controller with a connecting cable and plug, as well as an opening slot for the Game Pak with a locking feature. The console also comes with a buildable retro TV, featuring a flat 8-bit Mario figure on the scrolling screen.

You can even scan an included action brick with LEGO Mario from the LEGO Super Mario Starter Course, so he reacts to on-screen enemies, obstacles and power-ups just as he would have in the iconic Super Mario Bros. game.

“Super Mario has been a cherished figure in the gaming world for over thirty years now,” said Maarten Simons, creative lead on LEGO Nintendo Entertainment System, the LEGO Group. “Many adults still fondly remember that first time they saw Mario leap across the small screen, even if the graphics were a lot simpler than they are today.

“With the LEGO Nintendo Entertainment System, we’re letting them truly indulge in that nostalgia, recreating one of the most-loved consoles of all time so they can see the Super Mario from their childhoods once again – and even to share the experience of gaming in the 1980s with their own children.”

The LEGO Group and Nintendo announced their partnership earlier this year, bringing a fun-packed LEGO Super Mario universe to life through a Super Mario Starter Course set that exclusively features a LEGO Mario figure who displays a wide variety of instant reactions to movement, colour and various action bricks.

This entry point set was followed up on in May with a series of Power-Up Packs and in June with the announcement of a range of Expansion Sets and collectible Character Packs. All have been designed to build out the world of LEGO Super Mario, letting players unleash their creativity by building exactly the levels and challenges they want to see LEGO Mario and friends compete in.

The NES building set is part of a range of inspirational LEGO models designed for discerning hobbyists, as they look for their next immersive challenge. The LEGO NES will be available exclusively from LEGO Retail Stores and LEGO.com from August 1st 2020. From 2021 it will be available also at other leading retailers around the world.

It will be priced at £209.99, so start collecting those gold coins.

LEGO gives closer look at LEGO Super Mario launch as pre-order opens on first sets

A few very eventful weeks after the grand unveiling of the latest collaboration, LEGO’s Super Mario licensed range is now available to pre-order, kicking off with the Adventures with Mario Starter Course.

The new LEGO Super Mario product line features an interactive LEGO Mario figure that collects coins in real-life game levels created with LEGO bricks. Neither a video game nor a traditional LEGO brick-based set, it promises to “change the way people interact with Super Mario in the physical world and engage in LEGO experiences.”

Unveiled by LEGO Design Lead Jonathan Bennink, fans will be able to explore the LEGO Super Mario universe with the Adventures with Mario Starter Course. This entry point set to the world of LEGO Super Mario is needed to unlock expansion sets and features seven action bricks for different interactions with the LEGO Mario figure that are only included in this set.

The LEGO Mario figure itself has LCD screens in his eyes, mouth and belly to display a wide variety of instant reactions to movement, colour and action bricks. Also included is a speaker that plays iconic sounds and music from the video game series.

“Super Mario has continued to appear, always in a form adapted to the current hardware of the time.” said Takashi Tezuka, executive officer and game producer of Nintendo. “I am thankful that in this project with the LEGO Group, Mario is jumping out of the digital world of game consoles and smart devices, and we are able to bring him into the world with a new, physical type of Mario play.

“It’s very exciting to think of LEGO Mario becoming a real friend to children and to picture them playing in their very own Mario world that they imagined themselves.”

Kids aged six and upwards can build levels and play their own way, with challenges having lots of creative fun in an interactive experience. LEGO Mario is used to collect virtual coins as he runs and jumps from the Start Pipe to the Goal Pole via LEGO bricks, cloud platform, and clashes with the Goomba figure and Bowser Jr. figure.

The Starter Course can be combined with LEGO Super Mario Expansion Sets, which each unlock unique challenges and characters to play with and against friends.

The first Expansion Sets, also revealed today, include the Piranha Plant Power Slide Expansion Set and the Bowser’s Castle Boss Battle Expansion Set. The products all include modular builds, meaning that fans are in charge of creating exactly the LEGO level course they want to see Mario come to life in.

The launch also comes with a free LEGO Super Mario app by the LEGO Group, a supporting feature to further enhance the physical play experience. It keeps track of scores to encourage continuous rebuilding, as well as it provides digital building instructions with zoom and rotate viewing tools to make building easier, suggests other creative ways to build and play, and is a safe forum to share ideas with friends.

“We were thrilled to see the global reaction to news of LEGO Super Mario,” said Jonathan Bennink, digital design lead on LEGO Super Mario, the LEGO Group. “Fans have been keen to learn more, so I am pleased that today we were able to reveal more details about this exciting new collaboration that has led to a re-imagination of the LEGO building experience and an entirely new way to play inspired by the beloved video game icon, Super Mario. We can’t wait to see fans get creative and challenge each other with this highly engaging and social play experience.”

The full LEGO Super Mario assortment will launch Aug. 1st 2020, but fans can now pre-order the LEGO Super Mario Adventures with Mario Starter Course from today.

The recommended retail price for the Starter Course is £49.99, while the recommended retail price for the two expansion sets will be £24.99 for the Piranha Plant Power Slide Expansion Set and £89.99 for the Bowser’s Castle Boss Battle Expansion Set.

Has Nintendo cracked the next big gaming IP amid the Coronavirus pandemic?

Animal Crossing: New Horizons has become the fastest-selling single title on Nintendo’s Switch to date, selling more copies in its first week of sale than the combined launch sales of all previous Animal Crossing games in the franchise.

Reports are already coming in that the title is ‘3.5 times bigger than the last game in the series, 2013’s Animal Crossing: New Leaf on Nintendo 3DS.’ The title was previously the biggest launch for Nintendo’s franchise.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a non-linear life simulation game played in real-time. Each player assumes the role of a customisable character who moves to a deserted island. The open world game then allows players to explore the island as it develops into a community of animals.

Not only is the game one solution to maintaining communication and world-exploration social distancing, but also carries the potential to be one of Nintendo’s next big franchises. Video games analysts already expect New Horizons to be shipping over 12 million games in the next few months, and that is not accounting for digital downloads.

Benji Sales, an independent video game analyst, wrote on Twitter:

“Animal Crossing New Leaf was the previous best-selling Animal Crossing game, hitting over 12 million sold lifetime. Whatever your optimistic sales expectations for Animal Crossing New Horizons launch sales were, I can already tell you it’s too low. Holy hell, HUGE opening incoming.”

Digital download numbers – which Nintendo does not share externally – are tipped to be vast, particularly considering the concerns around the COVID-19 virus that has seen the UK Government recommend self isolation measures across the country.

Nintendo helps LEGO reinvent its traditional building system with LEGO Super Mario

The LEGO Group and Nintendo have shed light on the teased partnership that got the rumour mills spinning at the start of this week with the reveal of a new building system that brings Super Mario into the physical LEGO world.

Neither a video game nor a traditional LEGO brick-based set, LEGO Super Mario is a new product line that features an interactive LEGO Mario figure who collects coins in real life game levels created with LEGO bricks, in a launch that ‘will allow kids to experience the world of Super Mario like never before.’

A press release from LEGO went on to explain that both LEGO and Nintendo “share a passion for innovation and play, and the collaboration has led to a re-imagination of the LEGO building experience.”

Super Mario will be brought to life in the physical LEGO world and new levels of challenge and styles of play will be part of the iconic LEGO experience enjoyed by generations.

The news was also shared in a video posted by the LEGO Group and Nintendo earlier today.

The video, which hints at what fans can expect when LEGO Super Mario launches later this year, shows a player using an interactive Mario figure to collect coins in a real-life game level that has been created with LEGO bricks.

“We are very excited to bring Mario into the physical world through interactive and social LEGO play,” said Julia Goldin, chief marketing officer, EVP of the LEGO Group. “With this experience we will help millions of kids with love for Mario to engage and play in a completely new way, where they are in control of creating and playing games with their favourite character. By seamlessly incorporating the latest digital technology, LEGO Super Mario is a highly social, interactive and collaborative experience for kids.”

Takashi Tezuka, executive officer and game producer of Nintendo Co, added: “I have always liked LEGO products and how they help children use their imagination to play. The new product we created together with the LEGO Group seeks to combine two different styles of play – one where you freely build the world of Mario and the other where you play with Mario in the very world that you have created.”

LEGO Super Mario will launch later this year, and more information will be made available in the future.