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Kinectimals plush toys coming in Spring 2011
We know, we know -- Fur Town is getting kind of lonely these days. All your Kinectimals have been petted and played with so many times and, well, you're getting kinda bored of them. Thankfully, according to an announcement from Jakks Pacific this morning, Microsoft has plans to release "five unique plush animals" in the first wave of Kinectimals stuffed animals coming out in Spring 2011. Like the King Cheetah and Maltese Tiger included in the game's collector's editions, the plush animals can be scanned into Fur Town and be played with in-game to heart's content. No pricing was given in the announcement -- but can you even put a price on cuteness?
THQ announces extension of WWE renewal notice; Pachter explains
THQ announced today that World Wrestling Entertainment has extended a deadline that allows the publisher to renew its licensing contract. The extension lasts until December 21, 2009 -- the original deadline was November 1. If signed, the agreement would be good through December 31, 2014. THQ is cool with the WWE, but it's not very chummy with JAKKS Pacific, its longtime partner in the WWE licensing venture. The wounds also run deep between JAKKS and the WWE. When asked for comment on the license renewal and further details regarding the three-way deal, a THQ representative told Joystiq that the publisher plans to renew its contract with the WWE, and then added, "Beyond that, I cannot comment."The business, politics and legal issues are certainly complicated. We spoke with Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter who laid out multiple scenarios, but in the end he believes the most likely outcome is that the joint venture between THQ and JAKKS will be terminated. If JAKKS enforces its (believed to be one-year) non-compete clause, then no WWE games can be produced. Neither side would benefit from that, however.Pachter suggests that the WWE's renewal deadline was extended to give THQ and JAKKS time to settle their issues. What it sounds like to us: THQ and WWE want to move forward as a couple, and the previous arrangement, featuring JAKKS as the third wheel, has worn out its welcome. Check out Pachter's complete analysis after the break.
THQ triumphant in WWE / JAKKS Pacific dispute
You may not know this, but THQ and JAKKS Pacific have been locked in a vicious courtroom tussle over payment for work on some of THQ's WWE titles. See, THQ and JAKKS had a deal wherein THQ was to pay JAKKS 10% of money accrued from the sale of the JAKKS-developed WWE games; however, the two ALL CAPS companies were set to renegotiate that deal when JAKKS jumped the gun, signing a new contract without THQ's consent. And, as you've probably guessed, that's when THQ sicked the lawyers on 'em. Today, the result of this ongoing cage match are in and THQ managed to pin JAKKS for the 1-2-3. In the end, THQ was able to get that 10% figure lowered to only 6%, which will save the company "approximately" $23 million. JAKKS is surely upset: before the suit, the company was set to receive $57 million for its efforts in developing WWE titles; now that figure is a much lower $34 million. And what have we learned here? In the fantastical world of WWE, signing important documents without the consent of your business partner might make for great television but ... wait, we need to rethink this lesson ... Source - THQ Prevails in JAKKS Pacific Arbitration Dispute Source - JAKKS Pacific Announces Result in THQ Arbitration
JAKKS wants to keep WWE, THQ not quite sure
JAKKS is more than happy to reenter into its WWE licensing deal with THQ, but the gaming company isn't so sure it's ready to make a commitment. After JAKKS signed on the dotted line to extend its gaming agreement with the wrestling group for five years, THQ sued the toymaker, saying it wasn't ready to make a decision and that JAKKS had no right to sign the agreement without THQ's consent.There were some reportedly shady dealings when JAKKS originally got the contract -- perhaps THQ wants to get the whole pie for itself. Who knows? Either way, the two companies have entered into arbitration, so hopefully the tiff won't have an impact on releases.
JAKKS Pacific, of all firms, nabs Walmart's Vendor of the Year
When VIZIO reeled in Walmart's Electronics Supplier of the Year around this time last year, we perfectly understood the logic. But this one... this one is a real head scratcher. Rather than selecting Winchester, Levi Strauss or Purina, Wally World has found favor with one of our favorite toy makers. The little known JAKKS Pacific just got a lot more popular after receiving Walmart's Vendor of the Year award for 2008, marking the second time in the company's history that said award was received. Too bad it's not giving away half price EyeClops projectors in order to celebrate, but at least you can rest assured that when buying one from Walmart, you're getting the lowest price, Always™.
Jakks Pacific unveils EyeClops mini projector for the little ones
We see a ton of tiny little projectors these days around here. This one, by toymaker Jakks Pacific, is still pretty eye-catching, anyway. Expected to be on hand next week at the Toy Industry Association's annual International Toy Fair in New York, the EyeClops is obviously designed with children in mind, with a build similar to adult picos. We don't have full specs on this one yet, but it's capable of projecting a 70-inch images via its LED, and can be hooked up to all your child's favorite gadgets -- DVD players, digital cameras, and gaming consoles. The real kicker here is that the EyeClops is expected to sell for under $100 -- much less than most projectors for oldies. [Via About Projectors]
THQ announces WWE Legends of WrestleMania
Not much was revealed about WWE Legends of WreslteMania, a new wrestling title to hit next year. All that's known so far about the game is that it's being made by THQ and JAKKS Pacific, and that it will come out March 2009 to coincide with Wrestlemania 25.Other than that, everything is up for speculation -- especially that coveted roster. If the game's title wasn't enough of a hint, it looks like stars who've appeared at Wrestlemania will be the only ones making it into the game. Please THQ, whatever you do, don't include the likes of Tyson and non-wrestler personalities that have been at the big WM. That will just be disappointing. And, the "Macho Man" better not be missing this time.[Via press release]
JAKKS Pacific announces EyeClops BioniCam portable microscope
If microscopes like those from Celestron are a bit more than you need, you may want to keep an eye out for JAKKS Pacific's upcoming EyeClops BioniCam, which is obviously aimed at kids but, as we've seen in the past, will no doubt appeal to more adventuresome users out there as well. A follow-up to the company's EyeClops Bionic Eye, this one ups the features considerably with the addition of an LCD screen, which you can use to peek at things at magnification levels of 100x, 200x or 400x. Also like that considerably higher-end Celestron, this one packs a built-in digital camera (no word on the resolution) and an included USB thumb drive to make transfers to a computer as easy as can be. No word on a price just yet, unfortunately, though you can look for it to hit stores sometime this fall.[Via SlashGear]
WWE wraslin' demo should be available soon
According to a press release sent out this morning by THQ, there is supposed to be a new WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2008 demo available on the XBLM today, but so far it's not there. The release specifically states that October 15th is the date the demo becomes available, so we're thinking that it'll either be published to the Marketplace later today or it got hung up in Microsoft certification and is delayed. No matter the case, a Smackdown vs. Raw demo is incoming soon, so get your tight pants on, take a few steroids and find your favorite foldable chair because you've got wraslin' to prepare for.
JAKKS to further produce Namco TV games
Like Jumpstyle and Pogs, retro gaming is here to stay. JAKKS Pacific (creators of freakishly well endowed WWE action figures) and Namco Bandai (creators of King & Balloon) have done the corporate mambo and extended their contract to produce more plug-and-play TV games.Coming off a four year run with Namco, JAKKS hopes to go for even more as Josh Ardell, their senior VP of marketing said, "To date we have sold more than 15 million units based on Namco's top-selling franchise and look forward to at least another three year-run with the titles."We'll know when the well has run dry when we start seeing Baraduke plug-and-play games.
