PAWTUCKET, R.I.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--This year, the legendary BEYBLADE franchise hits the global stage and invites Bladers to prepare for the ultimate battle event at the 2018 BEYBLADE BURST World Championship. Global play and entertainment company Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ:HAS) has teamed up with SUNRIGHTS INC., d-rights Inc. and TOMY Company, Ltd. on a quest to find the greatest BEYBLADE BURST Bladers from around the world, and will bring them together for the BEYBLADE BURST World Championship, held at Kidexpo in Paris, France on November 3, 2018.
A worldwide phenomenon originating in Japan in 1999, the BEYBLADE brand is in its third generation, with two series to date; BEYBLADE BURST and BEYBLADE BURST EVOLUTION. Today, the BEYBLADE BURST brand continues to be the ultimate battling experience with more than 10 million tops sold in generation 3 in over 20 countries (within Hasbro territories). The BEYBLADE BURST Starter Pack was one of the hottest toys in 2017, according to NPD, the BEYBLADE BURST Starter Pack was the #1 item in the Action Figures & Accessories Supercategory category in G9 based on total sales in 2017*. Bladers are also enjoying digital battling in the BEYBLADE BURST App, which has had over 300 million battles since the app launched in Fall 2016.
In 2018, Bladers ages 8-13 will put their skills to the test during a series of national BEYBLADE BURST tournament events and then battle for the chance to claim the coveted title of BEYBLADE BURST World Champion during the epic head-to-head competition in Paris.
“BEYBLADE is a global phenomenon, earning a dedicated following of passionate and enthusiastic fans who enjoy the competition, strategy, skill and fun,” said Tom Warner, senior vice president of marketing at Hasbro, Inc. “We’re excited to bring our BEYBLADE fans from around the world together at the World Championship, and look forward to celebrating the competition as we search for the ultimate BEYBLADE BURST Master.”
“Our fans bring the BEYBLADE franchise to life, and we’re thrilled to host immersive, BEYBLADE BURST battles throughout the world for these amazing Bladers to showcase their skills,” says Kaz Soeda, managing director at SUNRIGHTS INC.
The journey to the 2018 BEYBLADE BURST World Championship will begin with a series of BEYBLADE BURST National Championships in multiple countries from March to September, where Bladers will compete for the opportunity to represent their country on the world stage. Winners from each country will face off at the BEYBLADE BURST World Championship in Paris, with one victor ultimately claiming glory and being crowned the BEYBLADE BURST World Champion.
Bladers can practice their skills in preparation for the tournaments with Hasbro’s dynamic BEYBLADE BURST product line, featuring the new BEYBLADE BURST SWITCHSTRIKE tops which allow fans to switch up their striking powers and customize the course of battle. To further hone their skills, fans can download the BEYBLADE BURST app (available in the in the App Store and Google Play for supported iOS and Android devices) and join the more than 300 million online battles that have taken place around the world while testing out different top combinations in head-to-head battle or in multi-player tournament mode.
The BEYBLADE franchise was inspired by traditional Japanese battling tops called "Bei-Goma” and was originally created in 1999 by TOMY Company, Ltd. as a modern battling top system. SUNRIGHTS INC., the fast-growing New York based entertainment arm of Japanese production company d-rights Inc., handles the distribution of broadcast, non-toy merchandising and promotional rights for BEYBLADE BURST outside of Asia.
To learn more about the BEYBLADE BURST World Championship and the upcoming National events, please visit http://www.worldtour.beyblade.com. Fans can also stay updated on the latest BEYBLADE information on social media at Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram.
Manufactured under license from TOMY Company, Ltd. ®*and/or TM* & © 2018 Hasbro. All Rights Reserved. TM & ® denote U.S. Trademarks. ©Hiro Morita, BBBProject, TV TOKYO
About Hasbro
Hasbro (NASDAQ:HAS)
is a global play and entertainment company committed to Creating
the World's Best Play Experiences. From toys and games to
television, movies, digital gaming and consumer products, Hasbro offers
a variety of ways for audiences to experience its iconic brands,
including NERF, MY LITTLE PONY, TRANSFORMERS, PLAY-DOH, MONOPOLY, BABY
ALIVE and MAGIC: THE GATHERING, as well as premier partner brands.
Through its entertainment labels, Allspark Pictures and Allspark
Animation, the Company is building its brands globally through great
storytelling and content on all screens. Hasbro is committed to making
the world a better place for children and their families through
corporate social responsibility and philanthropy. Hasbro ranked No. 1 on
the 2017 100 Best Corporate Citizens list by CR Magazine,
and has been named one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies® by Ethisphere
Institute for the past seven years. Learn more at www.hasbro.com,
and follow us on Twitter (@Hasbro & @HasbroNews)
and Instagram (@Hasbro).
About SUNRIGHTS INC.
SUNRIGHTS,
INC. is an entertainment rights management company backed by one of the
top advertising agencies in Japan, Asatsu DK, and the trading
conglomerate Mitsubishi Corp. Located in New York City, SUNRIGHTS
directly manages the development of intellectual property globally
outside of Asia. Learn more about us at http://sunrights-inc.com.
About d-rights Inc.
d-rights,
Inc. is a key player in international production of animated content for
families and children globally. It is recognized for brands such as
Beyblade, B-Daman, and Scan2Go. d-rights manages every aspect of content
creation from production to distribution, financing, marketing and
product licensing. Co-owned by Asatsu-DK Inc. (ADK) who distributes
popular titles including "Yu-Gi-Oh!", "Doraemon", "Crayon Shin-chan" and
"One piece", and Mitsubishi Corporation, d-rights assumes a key role in
the global business. Check our properties at http://www.d-rights.com.
About TOMY Company, Ltd.
TOMY
is a comprehensive toy and content company that produces a wide variety
of products and characters for people of all ages and nationalities, and
has more than 90 year of history since its founding. Generations of
families have enjoyed our all-time favorites such as Plarail,
Tomica, and Licca, and such toy lines as Beyblade and Transformers have
become genuine global phenomena. As a 21st century toymaker TOMY will
continue to make products which reflect the changing times as we fulfill
our Corporate Mission which is to “create new value from play” for
people all over the world.
HAS-B
