The cross between gaming and anime has always been prevalent, but the recently released Blizzard anime trailer made for its game 'Heros of the Storm' has fans buzzing about a potential series. Blizzard, developers of Overwatch, World of Warcraft, Starcraft and many more, recently released an impressive anime-inspired short video for the release of the its mecha-inspired skins for Heros of the Storm. The animation was all done in-house and took immense levels of effort for just three released skins.
Blizzard has recently done quite a bit of animation work with many of its IPs. The release of the massively popular Overwatch came along with several Pixar-inspired animations, and an additional anime-inspired one. With this new release, it may seem as though Blizzard is not only ready for an animated series, but that it may be positioning itself to create one. While no official statement has been made, fans continue to buzz over a possible Blizzard anime game, and with the company's wealth of characters, the possibilities would be endless.
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Anime-inspired Gaming Ads
- Video game companies are creating anime-inspired promotional videos to appeal to fans, creating opportunities for more immersive marketing campaigns.
- In-house Animation
- Video game companies are investing in-house animation teams to create more immersive and engaging content, creating opportunities for more collaborative and cost-effective production workflows.
- Potential for Anime-inspired Series
- The popularity of anime-inspired video game ads has created opportunities for video game developers to expand into producing full series, potentially disrupting the anime industry.
Where This Applies
- Video Game Development
- With the success of anime-inspired gaming ads, video game developers have the opportunity to invest more in creative marketing campaigns to engage with fans.
- Animation Production
- As more video game companies invest in in-house animation teams, there are disruptive opportunities for creative collaboration and competition within the animation industry.
- Anime Production
- Video game developers potentially entering the anime production industry could disrupt traditional anime studios and create new opportunities for collaboration and competition among anime producers.
