Aardman Animations Ltd., the award-winning UK studio, has announced a partnership with BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe to develop a new multimedia project.
Aardman Animations, the studio behind the much-loved Wallace & Gromit and Shaun the Sheep characters, will be working with video game developer and publisher BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe to develop a brand new IP.
The project will exist across multiple media, and the team will be approaching partners in early 2021 with the development materials.
New IP for Aardman
“As modern storytellers, the formats we create for are fundamentally changing year on year,” Daniel Efergan, ECD of Interactive. “This creates a space bubbling with potential, the chance to weave worlds with many windows, allowing people to play, watch or even perform with the IPs we create.
“But no matter what the format, no matter what the platform, the need for characters to fall in love with, epic universes to explore, and ultimately great storytelling, will always be front and centre.”
Sean Clarke, Managing Director of Aardman, adds, “Interactive Entertainment is a huge growth area within the entertainment world, and with new emerging technology blurring the lines of watching and playing, we are keen to develop strategic partnerships with partners such as BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe that share our vision of creating new IP that embraces this new world and cement our studio’s reputation as a multi-disciplinary creative hub.”
“This new partnership with Aardman is a dream come true, as it opens up a world of possibilities,” says Hervé Hoerdt, SVP of Digital, Marketing & Content at BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe. “The teams at Aardman and BNEE are a perfect cultural and creative fit to build a successful long term partnership, and I can’t wait to see what we can achieve together.“
Aardman Animations is also releasing Wallace & Gromit: The Big Fix Up, a brand-new immersive AR experience featuring the iconic duo. This is a collaboration with Fictioneers and is backed by funding from UK Research & Innovation.
Last month, Aardman Animation announced that the world’s first Shaun the Sheep illumination experience had opened at Rosa & Berry’s winter illuminations, at the Shaun the Sheep Farm Garden in Tawada, Japan.
