DHX & Dentsu Team Up for Mega Man Series

HALIFAX/SANTA MONICA: DHX Media has inked a global deal with Dentsu Entertainment USA to develop, co-produce, distribute and jointly manage the licensing for Mega Man, a new animated show based on the Capcom video-game franchise.

The new Mega Man series is geared toward viewers between the ages of 6 and 9 as well as their parents, who grew up playing the video games. The show will feature new technologies and robots, and will introduce such new characters as Aki Light, Mega Man’s alter ego. It is due to debut in 2017, which marks the 30th anniversary of the franchise.

Dentsu Entertainment USA and DHX will manage all worldwide rights for the new Mega Man series, which is being executive produced by Man of Action Entertainment. DHX will handle distribution and licensing in the U.S. in collaboration with Dentsu Entertainment USA. Parent company Dentsu will oversee distribution and licensing in Asia, with DHX managing distribution and licensing in all other territories.

Asaph Fipke, DHX’s chief content officer, commented: “We’re very excited to be working with Dentsu on Mega Man. This is yet another deal born of our strategy of teaming up with leading companies on high-profile kids’ brands that we can leverage across our platform of production, distribution, licensing and broadcast. We see this as an excellent opportunity to build on the rich legacy of the Mega Man video-game series and introduce the famous boy robot to a whole new generation of kids worldwide.”

Yuichi Kinoshita, the president and CEO of Dentsu Entertainment USA, noted: “Mega Man has a rare, nearly three-decade-long tradition with fans. We are excited to work with DHX to bring this newly imagined version of a long-beloved character back to the global marketplace.”

Man of Action’s Duncan Rouleau added: “The best thing about Mega Man is his unflinching wide-eyed optimism and an over-the-top sense of humor. This show reflects both qualities. We’ve got it all in here, it’s hopeful, forward-leaning, action-packed…. It’s full-on fun ahead!”