Since the advent of Pokemon, companies have filled children’s heads with dreams of tameable, friendly monsters – and the adventure of travelling the land in search of worthy opponents.
The latest franchise to step into this particular arena now makes the transition to video games, in the form of Activision’s Bakugan: Battle Brawlers.
Based on the hit anime show, not to mention the subsequent toy lines and trading cards, Bakugan is set in a world where children befriend and train huge, vicious monsters, and enter them into combat tournaments for glory.
It’s a hugely popular property, with the Spin Master-developed card game establishing itself as one of the most popular new toy properties in Q4 last year and gathering more than 55 million fans throughout the world. As such, Activision is confident the first video game in the franchise will be a strong seller when it hits shelves.
“Bakugan is our key kids’ title for the Christmas period and we have high expectations around it performance,” says brand manager Natalie Giles. “The title offers kids a chance to immerse themselves into the Bakugan world and it really does take them to a level beyond the cartoon and toy series.”
Article continues belowAdvertisement
Whereas most titles like this simply recycle plotlines from cartoon series and allow players to create key battles, Battle Brawlers actually sends fans on their own adventure. The game boasts a brand new storyline, created by the writers of the original anime show specifically for the game.
Players take on the role of new character Rikku, a young boy with dreams of finding his own Bakugan and joining in the tournaments. When he discovers never-before-seen Bakugan called Leonidas, the creature asks to stay with Rikku until he can find a way back to his own world.
The two work together to help each other realise their dreams. As they progress, players can collect up to 40 different Bakugan and hundreds of special power-up cards, some of which make their first appearance in Battle Brawlers. They also encounter characters and monsters from the TV series.
“Unlike most kids’ games, Bakugan offers a more in-depth experience,” says Giles. “The ability to be able to customise your character and interact with key characters from the cartoon allows the player to be fully immersed into the Bakugan world in a truly unique experience.”
The brand is popular enough to catch a few young eyes this Christmas shopping season, but Activision is still determined to let every Bakugan fan know the game is coming. The company has prepared an extensive marketing campaign to raise awareness of Battle Brawlers.
“We have a highly targeted two-week TV campaign in place, which will run the week before and after launch,” Giles says. “Channels such as Cartoon Network and Action Stations will allow us to reach our core target audience of boys between the ages of six and 12 years old in an engaging environment.
“The TV campaign will be supported with a strong three-week online campaign. This will focus on sites such as Swapitshop and Bin Weevils that offer a highly interactive environment – which is key to our plans as we understand the importance of kids interacting with our campaign and becoming fully immersed into the brand.
“Our above-the-line plans will be supported by a heavyweight consumer PR campaign which will include targeted coverage across kids’ and lifestyle press. We are also offering a limited Bakugan toy with the DS SKU, which will appeal to any Bakugan fan. The Bakugan toy is only available with the DS Collector’s Edition so expect high demand.”
