Riva Technology and Entertainment, which has operations in both East Asia and the United States, has announced they have signed a brand licensing deal with Portland-based comics publisher Dark Horse to produce multiple mobile games based on the massively successful The Umbrella Academy comics and Netflix series.
RTE have previously secured a strong streak of acquisitions, partnerships and licensing deals in recent years, including a licensing deal earlier this month with MGA Entertainment to produce and publish mobile games based on their hit properties L.O.L. Surprise! and Rainbow High.
Earlier this year RTE invested in multiple companies, including SUB2r who produce broadcast-quality streaming video cameras, leading games publisher Rogue Games and OKLetsPlay, the leading platform for esports cash matches and tournaments. RTE also owns a majority stake in global games producer Firefly Games.
Dark Horse – the third-largest comic publisher in the United States – launched The Umbrella Academy in 2007, created by My Chemical Romance front man Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá. The series plot revolves around a dysfunctional family of adopted sibling superheroes who reunite to solve the mystery of their father’s death and the threat of an impending apocalypse.
Through a mix of dynamic storytelling and eye-catching art, the book was a success with music and comics fans alike, and won numerous awards over the course of two mini-series.
When Dark Horse and Netflix joined forces in 2018, and Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba reunited for the return of their Harvey, Eisner, and YALSA award-winning series, the success of The Umbrella Academy really began to accelerate. The following year The Umbrella Academy television series premiered on Netflix, to worldwide acclaim.
The first season was released on Netflix on 15th February 2019. In April 2019, Netflix reported that 45 million households had watched season one during its first month of release, thus becoming one of the most streamed series of the year.
The show remains one of Netflix’s most popular titles, and after its second season was one of the streamer’s most-watched shows in summer 2020, Netflix officially renewed The Umbrella Academy for a third season last November.
RTE have now acquired the brand license from Dark Horse to take the series to even greater heights with the production of multiple The Umbrella Academy mobile games.
“Bringing the already globally popular series The Umbrella Academy into the gaming realm and enabling it to reach even higher levels of global success is something we are very enthusiastic about,” says RTE CEO & Founder Paul Roy..
“We feel it is an excellent progression for Dark Horse comics and we look forward to collaborating with them in this journey”
“Working with IP & Licensing experts Riva Technology and Entertainment will be mutually advantageous and is a strategic move for Dark Horse which will allow us access to a piece of the billion-dollar gaming industry.” said the Chairman of Dark Horse, Stanley Cheung.
“We carefully choose our partners based on their experience and industry impact, and for that RTE was the obvious choice.”
“We are really looking forward to seeing our hugely successful The Umbrella Academy series morph into its latest form in the gaming realm” adds Founder and CEO of Dark Horse, Mike Richardson.
Founded in 2002, with a global presence stretching from the USA to East Asia, RTE has successfully been delivering the vision of tomorrow for close to 20 years. RTE’s group of companies, which include Firefly Games, hold an industry advantage in their ability to take every project from concept to execution; all housed under one roof. The complementary companies cover location-based entertainment, brand and Intellectual Property licensing, content development, consumer products, gaming, and esports.
Firefly Games launched in 2015 and was built on the idea that the mobile gaming future is global and highly community driven. Now, with a proven track record in launching highly successful titles, the aim is to create the most community focused midcore and hardcore mobile gaming company out there. Its existing games include Terminator – Dark Fate and Dreamworks – Universe of Legends. Both available for Android and IOS.
• Buy The Umbrella Academy collections and more from AmazonUK (Affiliate Link)
• Watch The Umbrella Academy on Netflix (Subscription Service)
• RTE is online at www.rte.com.au
• Firefly Games is online at fireflygames.com
The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.
He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News, Licensing, Other Worlds, US Comics
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