MovieStarPlanet

The Original MovieStarPlanet: Your Questions, Answered

Fri, 17 Jul 2026 09:31:44 GMT

Players have been asking a lot of questions about the future of the original MovieStarPlanet, from performance and bugs to long-term plans for the game. To help answer some of the community’s biggest questions and recognize the incredible dedication of our players over the years, we asked D. Jónsdóttir, Director of Technology at MovieStarPlanet. Having been part of the MovieStarPlanet team since 2010, she brings over 15 years of experience and insight into the game’s development. In this interview, she shares what’s happening behind the scenes and what players can expect moving forward.

Q: One of the big questions players are asking is: is MovieStarPlanet shutting down?

A: For as long as we have so many users who love the game, and as long as it’s earning enough for us to keep it alive and secure, we have no plans to shut down MovieStarPlanet.

Q: A lot of players also feel like the game is no longer really being worked on. Is MovieStarPlanet still being actively developed?

A: It is. We have a dedicated team, and they really care about the game. They’re working hard to try to improve the underlying technology.

Q: A lot of players ask why MSP doesn’t run as smoothly as MSP2. Why would you say that is?

A: The reason the MSP client can’t run as smoothly as MSP2 is that it’s built in an old technology called Flash, which uses vector graphics. This means the game needs to calculate every single pixel every time it’s drawing it, all the time. And that is what has always made it pretty slow. MSP2, on the other hand, is made in Unity, a more modern, faster, and more stable technology.

Q: So why don’t you just port MSP to Unity?

A: The way MSP is made is so deeply integrated with the Flash technology that we wouldn’t be able to allow users to port their content. All the amazing movies, looks, and other creations they’ve made in the game wouldn’t be transferable into a Unity version of the game.

Q: Is MSP ever going to become a browser game again?

A: We can’t make MSP a browser game because the browsers no longer allow Flash.

Q: A lot of the frustration from players comes down to lag, bugs, and server issues, and the feeling that these problems have been there for a very long time. So if players ask whether the major bugs and lag are ever actually going to be fixed, what would you say?

A: When MovieStarPlanet was built, over 17 years ago, the cyber security landscape was completely different from what it is today. The game was built for a different time. One of the biggest reasons that the servers are slow now is how easy it has become to make and use bots. For the last many months, we have been working on fundamental changes to the system, to address some of these issues. That’s why there haven’t been updates for so long.

This is a big project and when we release it, users will have to install a whole new version of the downloadable PC/Mac client. It will be one of the most important changes we have made in years, and we’re really excited to get it into players’ hands. We’ll need everyone’s help by downloading the new client when it becomes available.

Q: Players also ask whether there is ever going to be any fully new functionality coming out on MSP, such as new events and new updates and features, or whether all of the focus is now on stability.

A: Right now, we think our users mostly want a stable and secure game that runs smoothly, so that is where we’ll have all our focus on the MSP team for as long as it takes.

Q: Players also notice when new clothes and animations are coming out, and at the same time they’re asking about fixes to the game itself. How do you explain that difference?

A: It’s completely different people working on those things. We have an amazing team of artists who draw the clothes, pets and animations that you buy in the game, and they are not the same people as the programmers and QA who work on improving the underlying game itself. We’re very proud of our artists and the effort they put into coming up with ideas and drawing the content.

Q: How do you decide what gets worked on first for MovieStarPlanet? How do you prioritise things?

A: It always comes down to: What will benefit the most players. It’s called bang for the buck. If it’s a small fix, we might do it if it benefits only a few. But if it’s a complicated fix, we only do it if it benefits a large part of the MSP community.

Q: Players often feel like they are saying a lot, but they’re not always sure whether that feedback is being seen. So what would you say about how you hear from players, and the best way for them to make their opinions heard?

A: We look at player feedback all the time. I know it might not always feel like it, but we do, and I can promise that we take your feedback seriously and really appreciate it. Users write to us through Support, and we also hear about issues through social media and our community channels. We’re constantly prioritizing. But, for example, if users can’t log in, we fix it as soon as we can.

And the best way that players can influence future updates or let their opinion be heard is through the support page on our website. The support team goes through the suggestions, and they are noted and categorised.

Q: I think another thing people don’t always understand is why fixing MSP can take so long. So how would you explain why it’s so difficult to make MSP run smoothly?

A: It’s a very old game, which makes the technology old and complicated. Sometimes when we fix something in one place, something completely different breaks that we didn’t know was going to be affected. That’s why it takes a really long time to fix any bigger issues. We have to be super careful. On some occasions, we have also had to take the games down for maintenance, especially when we need to fix something in the database itself. We know it can be frustrating, but sometimes it’s simply necessary to keep the game alive.

Q: What do you think is the biggest thing that players don’t understand about MSP1 development?

A: They think we don’t care, or that we have abandoned the game, because we don’t get fixes out there quickly. But we haven’t. We have a dedicated team whose whole focus is MSP. And with such an old game, keeping it running and improving it is a complicated project which takes a really long time. That’s why the players are not getting the updates they are asking for as fast as they would like.

Q: Looking back at the work that has been done, what are you personally most proud of, or what is the development team most proud of in more recent times?

A: A year ago, we were running out of numbers in MSP. We had so much data in the database, with over 2 billion items of clothing, that we were getting very close to the 2.14 billion limit. If we went over it, no one would have been able to buy any more clothes, and eventually the game would have stopped running. So we had a huge project on our hands to update every single feature that uses the inventory in the game. A countless number of different places had to be updated, but we succeeded in finding all of them and rolling out the project. When we reached 2.14 billion items in the inventory, everything continued to work as normal, and the users didn’t notice. The game would have died had we not completed the project in time. We worked on this for a long time and it was a big achievement to keep the game running. I’m super proud of our team for doing that.

Q: And for the players who still care deeply about MSP and worry that it’s being left behind, what would you want to say to them directly?

A: We feel so privileged having you as our players, and feeling the love that MovieStarPlanet fans have for the game. We’re really astounded by how long our players keep playing, even though they are growing up. We’re super grateful for that. We see it, and it has influenced us.

MovieStarPlanet presenting for the UK Parliament

Thu, 28 Oct 2021 13:20:11 GMT

MovieStarPlanet takes part in the APPG for Video Games & Esports Games and Online Safety for young players in the UK

Due to homeschooling and lock-downs during the Covid-19 pandemic, playing online games have been incredibly popular among kids in most age groups. With the draft Online Safety Bill in the UK having been undergoing pre-legislative scrutiny, there is a concern whether the frequency and severity of harms to young players have equally increased. With this in mind, the APPG, All-Party Parliamentary Group, for Video Games and Esports met to uncover what the level of risks are and how they have been dealt with by the online games producers. The MovieStarPlanet Head of Safety and Support, Vernon Jones, was one of the speakers invited to unfold and debate this important topic.

MovieStarPlanet presenting for the UK parliament

Having been part of the National Crime Agency Games Sector Group Roundtable on Safeguarding Children for over three years, MovieStarPlanet has been invited to speak to the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Video Games and Esports meeting on online safety, about how it tackles the challenges of safeguarding children online. The meeting will hear that this complex task is achieved by using a combination of Automated Intelligence and trained human moderators to safeguard children. A further discussion point is how the Online Safety Bill can assist the games industry in handling these issues.

“It is always an honour to speak to the legislative parliament members and guide them on the important work we do to safeguard children on an everyday basis”, says Head of Safety and Support Vernon Jones, who will be presenting at the online event on Oct.21st, 2021.

If you want to learn more about the work we do on online safety, Vernon Jones, has shared some of the principles he and his team works with in relation to online child safeguarding.

The commitment to Online Trust and Safety

The safety of children who interact with the games produced by MovieStarPlanet, is of paramount concern to everyone employed at the company. There are numerous safeguarding measures and resources in place that ensure the games offer a safe and fun environment, where children can explore the creative and fun world that the games provide. This strategy is incorporated within a commitment to comply with governmental legislation and self regulatory industry standards, in relation to Trust and Safety issues.

Child Safeguarding Commitment

MovieStarPlanet is committed to making the online community a safe and fun environment for all children who engage with the games that we produce. We continuously aim to reduce, or where possible eliminate inappropriate behaviour and content. Our goal is to deal with child safeguarding concerns in a professional manner by having appropriate moderation and child safeguarding measures in place.

At MovieStarPlanet, there is a trained and dedicated team of Moderators and Support Managers who assess online content, implement safety measures and provide online support to children using the games. All moderators undergo a comprehensive induction course. They have also received specialised training in relation to online grooming, conflict resolution, cyber bullying and other online safety issues, from the dedicated Safety Team. Training has also been held in cooperation with Save the Children Denmark and other experts who specialise in online child safeguarding training.

Online Child Safeguarding is Based on Five Core Pillars:

Together these pillars form an intricate, holistic security system that ensures the best possible child safeguarding system and appropriate social networking experience.

To oversee these measures I am employed as the dedicated Head of Safety and Support. My role at the company is to oversee all aspects of online Safety, Customer Support and Trust issues. As a Registered Social Worker in the UK, and a member of the Danish Association of Social Workers I have over 25 years’ experience in working internationally with frontline child protection and online child safeguarding issues. This includes working within the online child protection team at Save the Children Denmark and several statutory Social Service Departments in Denmark and the UK.

Professionally Moderating Online Games – Advanced filtering

To ensure the language used throughout the games is appropriate for children, we use a combination of AI (Artificial Intelligence) automated content management systems and live moderation by trained Moderators. We believe this offers a comprehensive, pedagogical approach to monitoring chat rooms and ensures that age appropriate standards are maintained. It also allows children to express themselves in a safe and appropriate online environment, which is also important for children who play online games.

At MovieStarPlanet, we constantly review our child safeguarding measures and do not hesitate to implement new technologies that will further improve child safeguarding mechanisms. A commitment to Safety by Design principals is fundamental to making the games safe from the design to the implementation phase of game development.

Two Hat Community Sift Artificial Intelligence System – Advanced filtering

MovieStarPlanet has introduced the Two Hats Community Sift into its online moderation, word filtering and child safeguarding processes. Community Sift is a comprehensive set of chat filtering tools that works to enhance our already comprehensive child safeguarding measures. The system considers all common avoidance techniques such as 133t speak and phonetic replacements as well as false positive detection (Scunthorpe). The introduction of Community Sift has fundamentally changed and improved the way we detect and deal with inappropriate language and behaviour.

User Reporting and Feedback – Self- control systems

MovieStarPlanet encourages users to report inappropriate behaviour through the user-based report form, as well as through email support and forums. These reports are especially important in highlighting unusual and newly discovered methods being used to circumvent the automatic filtering systems which can then be adjusted accordingly. We actively encourage parent and user engagement to help keep the site safe by reporting problematic behaviour to our trained Support Team.

Monitoring Chat Rooms – Live moderation

The Moderators are trained employees, with real knowledge about the issues and challenges involved in safeguarding children within an online games community. The Moderators and Support Managers receive specific training and supervision in relation to the complex task of monitoring online activity from qualified experts working with online child protection issues.

The monitoring of chat rooms and other content is undertaken by a combination of Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems described above, and by live Human Moderation. Due to the vast amount of generated content, the automated filter systems are employed as a first response to inappropriate language. This system alerts Moderators to inappropriate language or content so that they can systematically review and assess the chat logs. Moderators can notify the user of their inappropriate behaviour through the display of an automated message and activation of the user block for a specified time depending on the severity of the breach.

Cooperation with Law Enforcement Agencies – External cooperation

MovieStarPlanet is recognised as meeting all legislative requirements regarding implementing online child safeguarding measures in the countries where we operate. We act on any child protection concerns through direct contact with the appropriate police department or other statutory Law Enforcement Agencies in all countries where the games we produce are operational. These statutory agencies have the responsibility and authority to make inquiries and take necessary action to protect the child. We also cooperate internationally with Law Enforcement and other Child Protection agencies such as Interpol and Europol.

After comprehensive assessments in relation to child safeguarding and privacy issues, MovieStarPlanet was awarded membership to Freiwillige Selbstkontrolle Multimedia-Diensteanbieter (FSM) in Germany, and The UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS).

In the United States, the games have been assessed as being COPPA (Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act) compliant and meeting stringent safety standards by the Federal Trade Commission certified company, KidSAFE .

A front-running backend

Thu, 23 Sep 2021 10:55:15 GMT

How moving to a microservice architecture saved us 40% in hosting costs and laid the foundation for our game engine success

At MovieStarPlanet we recently changed our back-end architecture from a classical SQL-based monolith to microservices. Why is that interesting to write a blog post about? Because not only did it reduce our hosting costs, the benefits are a huge part of making our game engine, Nebula, the success we are aiming for.

If you’re not deeply involved in developing highly available and super scalable back-end solutions, you’ve probably never heard about microservices. Although it’s been a buzzword for some years in the tech industry.

In the monolithic architecture, MovieStarPlanet had before, all features are built together and hosted together on the same server that reads and writes to a SQL database. The client asks the server for specific data, and the server fetches the data from the database and returns it to the client. It doesn’t matter if it’s requesting your friend list, logging in, or anything else. It’s all handled by the same server.

In a microservice architecture, we split everything horizontally into features that are hosted individually. The client will then ask one service for getting the friend list and another service for getting the inventory and so on. This gives us a lot of flexibility such as:

The microservices don’t all have to use SQL databases, which means we are free to choose database tech per service.
We can scale microservices much more efficiently. Some services are heavily used, some more rarely. Because we can scale much more fine-grained now and only need to scale up the services that are getting the most traffic, we have reduced hosting costs by 40%.
We can now scale much faster, so we don’t end up in situations where our users experience downtime due to rapid incremental load.
Image credit: https://laptrinhx.com/

In the monolithic approach, all code exists in the same project. This is where the so-called spaghetti code can happen. The code-base grows over time and can become quite overwhelming. In microservices, the code is split into individual projects, which makes it much easier to keep the code clean. The much smaller chunks of code also make it much faster for the developers to get an overview and identify bugs. After introducing microservices we have reduced our time to fix bugs from days to hours. So now our talented backend developers can spend more of their valuable time creating new features rather than fixing bugs.

The last huge benefit is also the one that will bring us smoothly into the future. The tech stack and the architecture we have now are generic enough that all our current and future games can run on the same back-end. Previously we had a huge and expensive monolith for each game, now we have a single one-size-fits-all back-end. This will dramatically reduce our hosting costs when we develop new games in the not-so-far future. Why? Because the base cost will be shared by all games. It also means that time-to-market for new games will be much shorter than previously. And this means lower production costs and it gives us a competitive edge.

It’s been a tough ride and a lot of hard work to bring us where we are today. But it’s definitely worth every drop of sweat. We will soon start marketing MovieStarPlanet2 and BlockStarPlanet and we are very fortunate to be in a position where we are ready to scale and welcome a lot of new players.

MovieStarPlanet Magazine: The 100th Anniversary Issue

Fri, 27 Aug 2021 12:29:39 GMT

The year 2013 marks the birth of the Polish MovieStarPlanet magazine. Ever since, on a monthly basis, a new issue of the colorful and MovieStar-studded magazine has grazed the shelves of the local press outlets all over Poland.

For the past 8 years, loyal MovieStarPlanet fans and newcomers alike have been able to enjoy all the latest news from the world of MovieStarPlanet, participate in competitions, redeem digital content for their in-game avatars and keep up with fashion and celebrity news from real life. The magazine has always been a nice cocktail of Fun, Fashion, Friendships, and Fame. Just like MovieStarPlanet!

This summer Egmont Poland released the 100th-anniversary issue of the MovieStarPlanet magazine. A milestone that marks, not only the tremendous success of the magazine and the MovieStarPlanet brand in the Polish market, but also the dedication of the editorial team at Egmont Poland. They are experts in creating relevant and fresh content and keeping the MovieStarPlanet fans engaged all these years.

We at MovieStarPlanet greatly value our long-standing partnership with Egmont Poland and are proud to celebrate the anniversary of the 100th issue. We truly appreciate the work that goes into creating and running a successful magazine in the kids’ category. The magazine’s success is a testament to the value that can be created by combining a physical product, with a popular digital property like MovieStarPlanet. When done right, the two worlds can complement each other and create a unique offering with a loyal and highly engaged fanbase.

Let the creativity loose

Mon, 14 Jun 2021 15:57:42 GMT

One of the keystones in all our games is creativity. All our games have creative features that encourage the players to be inventive and express themselves, and every day we are amazed at what our players create. The creativity seems to be endless.

We have just run a competition on BlockStarPlanet where we asked the players to create a portrait. All contributions were stunning. If you also want to be amazed, spend 45 sec watching the video of just some of the winners.

This proves that gaming is not “just” a pastime activity but can also be a creative space where kids truly can let their creativity loose.

We are impressed. We think you will be too. Enjoy!

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BlockStarPlanet wins BEST LIVE GAME at Spilprisen 2021

Thu, 29 Apr 2021 14:58:31 GMT

Yesterday, Wednesday, April 28th, Spilprisen 2021 took place. Like most other events this year, the award show and yearly social event, Spilprisen, was turned into a digital event.

MovieStarPlanet, and especially the BlockStarPlanet team, followed the show extra closely, as BlockStarPlanet was nominated in the category Best Live Game.

The BlockStarPlanetPlanet team has been working hard the last year on making the game more content-driven. A big part of this journey has been adding Seasons. Regularly launching new Seasons based on a creative narrative, combined with the users’ creativity, makes BlockStarPlanet a lively universe that constantly changes and evolves. We are extremely proud of not only being nominated but also WINNING Best Live Game of the year 2021.

Senior Game Designer of BlockStarPlanet, Daniel Traun, dedicated the award to the players and said, “we are amazed by the users’ creativity every day”.

The competition in the category was fierce and we are happy to receive this recognition, but we are also extremely proud of being part of an industry with so much talent and capabilities. Without a doubt, the Danish games industry has a lot to offer in the years to come. And we are proud to be part of it!

But today, we celebrate BlockStarPlanet and the amazing team behind the game!! Congratulations!!

—

Spilprisen is a tribute to the best Danish-developed games. Spilprisen is the gaming industry’s own price. It is organized by The Danish Producers’ Association, which is an industry organization for producers of film, television and games.

MovieStarPlanet Partners up with Panini to Launch Trading Cards in Poland

Fri, 26 Feb 2021 12:00:32 GMT

We at MovieStarPlanet are proud to announce that Panini, the International brand leader within the world of trading card collectables, has launched a MovieStarPlanet 2 trading card collection in Poland on the 23rd of February.

The MovieStarPlanet 2 trading cards represent the perfect opportunity to combine the digital world with a physical product. In addition to giving the collectors a beautiful set of trading cards to complete, each package of trading cards includes a redeem code that gives access to collectable fashion items on MovieStarPlanet 2 – only available through the cards.

The MovieStarPlanet 2 trading card collection includes 220 different card designs, in 6 different categories. The categories, such as BFF Cards, Theme Cards, and Diamond Cards, are based on key elements from the game. The cards are designed to provide plenty of fun for both avid card collectors and MovieStarPlanet 2 players alike. Creativity and self-expression are at the core of the MovieStarPlanet universe and the trading cards mirror this with a special category of transparent cards that give the collectors the freedom to play dress up and create countless different looks.

Poland has always manifested as a great market for our licensing products. The MovieStarPlanet magazine, published by Egmont, is approaching its 9th year on the market. We believe the Panini trading cards have all the ingredients to become a success and aspire to a possible expansion to more markets.

The trading cards are available for purchase at local press outlets throughout Poland as well as on Panini Poland

MovieStarPlanet supports book about healthy gaming habits!

Thu, 18 Feb 2021 15:04:01 GMT

Helping parents to navigate the world of gaming is of great importance to us at MovieStarPlanet, so supporting journalist Andy Robertson with his book “Taming Gaming” was an easy decision.

The book provides parents practical advice and insights so games can be less of a worry and start being a connecting experience families can share. Andy combines his own experiences as a father of 3, and as a journalist covering this topic for several years, with the latest research from psychologists, industry experts, and children charities.

“It was crucial to have help of MovieStarPlanet and our other supporters. It’s an ambitious project, and wouldn’t exist in so full a form without their help. Many parents have already been telling me how they have more confidence to guide their children’s gaming.” Andy Robertson, Taming Gaming (website)

MovieStarPlanet is part of the recipe section, where Andy provides some insights and practical information about various games.

The book is now available in stores. We hope it will be an inspiration for many families.

MovieStarPlanet shows strong financial results and has high ambitions for 2021

Tue, 22 Dec 2020 15:06:55 GMT

As 2020 is coming to an end, MovieStarPlanet celebrates several achievements and has high expectations for 2021 and the years to come.

Developing Nebula has required big investments and hard work over the past 3,5 years to reach the goal to produce many new games faster and cheaper in the future.

The first Nebula-based game saw daylight in 2020 with the soft launch of MovieStarPlanet2. It quickly became clear that all the hard work and investment in Nebula is really starting to pay off, says Founder & CEO Claus Lykke Jensen. The transition of BlockStarPlanet to Nebula was therefore also set in motion and is progressing as planned. MovieStarPlanet will hard launch both games in 2021.

But the ambitions for MovieStarPlanet does not stop here. The plan is to start developing at least one new game in 2021 and thereafter several new games every year. That is why we are in the process of looking for investors. We are not only considering having one big investor but we are also considering listing MovieStarPlanet on the stock exchange to give many investors the opportunity to join our exciting journey, says Claus Lykke Jensen. No decision has been made, and MovieStarPlanet is keeping all options open.

Starting the production of new games, expanding with new investors, and initiating marketing of MovieStarPlanet2 and BlockStarPlanet once they have matured, calls for a very exciting 2021 for MovieStarPlanet.

You can read more about Claus Lykke Jensens ambitions for MovieStarPlanet in this article: MovieStarPlanet’s growth plans in Finans

MovieStarPlanet is hard at work on MovieStarPlanet 2.

Wed, 30 Oct 2019 12:12:14 GMT

MovieStarPlanet 2 will be a brand new addition to the MovieStarPlanet universe and the first game built on the Unity-based Nebula platform.
Building on the success of MovieStarPlanet, creating a MovieStarPlanet 2 seemed like the natural choice for the first game on the Nebula platform.

Although not ready for launch, the name and logo were revealed to the users on Friday Oct.25th 2019. “We want to bring the users with us on this journey, so now seemed like a good time to reveal what we are working on. We will make updates, polls, competitions, and of course, Beta tests, to ensure we get input and insights from our very dedicated MovieStarPlanet users,” says Marketing Director, Marie B. Sørensen.

As the name indicates, we are taking what made MovieStarPlanet the success it is today and adding new ideas, and features. We have amazing, creative and dedicated users, which we hope will see MovieStarPlanet 2 as a positive addition to an expanding MovieStarPlanet universe!

It is still too soon to announce any release dates for MovieStarPlanet 2, so stay tuned for further updates.

MovieStarPlanet and BlockStarPlanet at SPILPRISEN 2019

Wed, 08 May 2019 08:45:48 GMT

Our two games were nominated for the category of Best Live Game by Spilprisen!
We didn’t bring home the award unfortunately but it is amazing to be nominated for doing what we do best, creating fun games for kids!

We pride ourselves in having the best community for kids! We work hard to maintain a fun and safe environment for our online citizens whom we call MovieStars & BlockStars!

Our amazing content team creates breathtaking content on a weekly basis, our talented developers keep pushing the boundaries of technology and imagination, and our support team makes sure that safety and fun go hand in hand!

We will continue to give our users a great game where they can be creative and make friends!

We are grateful for the nomination and we want to give a big shoutout to all our users that continue to inspire our work every day!

“The Best Live Game Award goes to the team that has best managed to utilize and engage the players through game updates. Best Live Games is a game where players keep returning for more.” – Spilprisen

MovieStarPlanet & BlockStarPlanet are nominated for Spilprisen 2019

Wed, 10 Apr 2019 15:07:10 GMT

MovieStarPlanet and BlockStarPlanet are going to compete in the category BEST LIVE GAME as both games have been nominated for Spilprisen 2019.

It is an honor to be nominated and we will be following with excitement and intense enthusiasm!

See you at Spilprisen 2019 on May 7th!

May the best game win!

NCA- CEOP and Gaming Sector Round Table

Mon, 11 Feb 2019 10:04:48 GMT

Senior leaders from the gaming sector met with National Crime Agency UK at a round table hosted by the gaming company Jagex in Cambridge, to discuss collaborative ways to keep children safe online.

Our Head of Safety Vernon Jones and Support Manager Warin Jaeger participated to the round table in Cambridge. Both MovieStarPlanet participants were very positive after the meeting and will continue to participate in future meetings.

MovieStarPlanet and NCA – CEOP presented a case study to the meeting, that highlighted how effective and professional cooperation, helped to safeguard children in a complex case.

The main outcomes of the discussion included looking at training for moderators, sharing of relevant information and how Automated Intelligence (AI) can be further used to safeguard children.

The MovieStarPlanet Safety Team is looking forward to further improving collaboration with NCA/CEOP in relation to safeguarding children.

GDPR

Tue, 29 May 2018 06:47:16 GMT

GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) is a European Union (EU) data privacy regulation.
In an increasingly data-driven world, the EU decided to renew the data privacy principles, which GDPR is the result of. The main objective of GDPR is to put the customers/individuals in control of their own data and to consolidate privacy regulations across the EU. GDPR will come into effect on May 25th, 2018.

There are several sources for more information about GDPR and the impact it has on consumers and businesses. Below are some of the links we have found interesting:
– https://www.eugdpr.org/
– http://ec.europa.eu/justice/smedataprotect/index_en.htm

Being a publisher of children games, we have not only been looking at GDPR but also GDPR-K.
GDPR-K is close to what is called COPPA in the US. MovieStarPlanet has been working with COPPA since 2012.

If you would like to read more about GDPR-K, the below article could be of interest.
– https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2018-04-03-gdpr-k-how-the-kids-data-privacy-law-affects-games-publishers-everywhere

Obviously, GDPR/GDPR-K is causing big changes for all businesses and how they handle and work with data. At MovieStarPlanet we have decided to look at the positive side of GDPR. We believe having one set of rules for all countries in the EU and allowing the consumers to make their own decisions regarding their digital data will increase consumer confidence in all businesses across industries and countries, which can only be considered an upside for both consumers and businesses.

Unity GameJam by MovieStarPlanet

Thu, 12 Apr 2018 12:41:19 GMT

Friday afternoon was dedicated to cross-company Unity GameJam to test the newly developed Unity Core – NEBULA – where stars are born, hence the foundation for future MovieStarPlanet products.

The main goal of Nebula is to make it easier to make games for our Social Network, so what better test environment than our own creative game developers?

Each development team had to include 3 fundamental features:

CREATE A MULTIPLAYER CHATROOM
PLUG IN YOUR OWN AVATAR
MAKE A NEW CREATIVE FEATURE

It is no surprise that there will be a few initial hiccups with a new technology, but the feedback was overwhelming and full of good ideas.

“The main purpose was to challenge our assumptions on how developers want to use Nebula and to have Friday afternoon fun together at the same time“, says Nebula’s Product Manager, Dagbjørt Jónsdóttir

We experienced that developers want more automation and more customizability. We got a detailed list of infrastructure that must be in place before we will start producing actual games.

The GameJam learnings are of great importance to help in planning Nebula and Unity training, hence where to direct our priorities and focus.

MovieStarPlanet GameJam is born and is here to stay.

BRIDGING FLASH TO UNITY IN SOCIAL NETWORKS

Mon, 09 Apr 2018 08:03:53 GMT

Meet CTO, Caspar Strandbygaard at GAMES WEEK TALK 2018.

MovieStarPlanet has many years of experience in developing and operating social games played by millions of children aged 8-15 years all over the world and we’re in the challenging process of transitioning all our games from Flash to Unity.

Caspar will cover how we’re building a framework in Unity, that enables us to create new social games while increasing development speed by reusable components and bridge the social aspects of the games between old and new technology.

Caspar will give his talk Tuesday April 17^th at 14.15

Successful Pre-Production kick-off with Google Sprint Methodology

Mon, 26 Mar 2018 08:29:14 GMT

The process of bringing MovieStarPlanet successfully into a 100% Unity based company calls for new approaches to games development.

In late 2017 we studied the SPRINT method developed at Google Ventures. We found the concept “Going from Idea to Testing a Prototype in a week” very interesting, and decided to test this methodology on the preproduction of our first Unity product.

A dedicated team representing main production stakeholders such as Game design, User support, Development and Graphic artist spend an intense week together with ONE objective – creating a minimum loveable and testable prototype.

The outcome was amazing – a minimum loveable prototype was ready Thursday afternoon and got tested Friday with 4^th graders at Gentofte School north of Copenhagen. Their feedback was recorded and is now essential for the design team in setting directions for the next product in our portfolio.

“Focusing on one big problem and getting to test a prototype that tries to solve that within five days is a really powerful tool.”

“ Also, as a bi-effect there’s a continuous alignment during the week on small and big questions and challenges that we’re facing.”
says Creative Director Bjarke Brint

MovieStarPlanet apps reaches BIG Milestones

Fri, 16 Mar 2018 14:21:27 GMT

MovieStarPlanet apps, BooniePlanet and BlockStarPlanet, reach new milestones, and supports the ambition of creating the best and biggest social network for children 8-15 years.

Working at MovieStarPlanet is always fun, but the last few weeks, the smiles have been a little bigger.
BlockStarPlanet and BooniePlanet, both MovieStarPlanet apps, reached important milestones in their growth plan.

BooniePlanet reached an amazing 500,000 Monthly Active users, while BlockStarPlanet reached the 1 million milestone. This is the result of hard dedicated work on growing the BlockStarPlanet and BooniePlanet user base, and at the same time, making new exciting features giving the kids a reason to come back day after day. A BIG congratulation to the two teams!

And what better way to celebrate, than having cake

Want to know more about BooniePlanet?
https://moviestarplanet.zendesk.com/hc/articles/209261949

Want to know more about BlockStarPlanet?
https://moviestarplanet.zendesk.com/hc/articles/115001136929

New Tech Platform calls for change in Production Strategy at MovieStarPlanet

Fri, 02 Feb 2018 08:21:43 GMT

MOVIESTARPLANET has entered a new development phase, which is part of an exciting journey that will change the company dramatically. Migrating from Flash to Unity will require reshaping the organization, to meet the new aims and objectives. This restructuring process will require internal changes and retraining in relation to the employment of Unity experts. This new strategy will also allow the organization to streamline and improve the production needs of the company. Until the full porting is fully operational, the production needs will require a smaller and streamlined organization.

“Migrating to Unity will finally fulfill our vision of clever game development by building from a core feature base. I have a strong belief that this step is one of the most significant decisions for MovieStarPlanet ever”, says CEO & Founder Claus Lykke Jensen.

The production of Games, within MOVIESTARPLANET, will be built on top of our Unity platform – Nebula. This enables core game features needed for a social game in the MOVIESTARPLANET network. With a click of a button, game developers can create games with social core features like Avatars, Profiles, Login, Chatrooms, Friends list, High scores, Safety, Localization, Shops and much more. For game development in MOVIESTARPLANET, the focus will be on creating specific UI/UX while adding features that will make any new game unique and stand out.
This approach will emphasize our ability to reduce ‘go to market time’ and lowering the cost in relation to game development. This leverage launch of more games in a shorter time will be a prerequisite to facilitate the goal of being the largest and safest social network of games for kids.

MOVIESTARPLANET is the longest living social network for kids and our success through 10 years will help us bridge the technical gap to the future of game production. This is a transition that will require heavy investment and a more streamlined organization.
MOVIESTARPLANET have 3 successful and fully monetized games live that is enjoyed by millions of kids all over the world. This new investment will bring the company into a new and dynamic future that will embrace the necessary changes to be fully migrated to Unity in 2021. The journey will also include the commitment to support our 3 Flash games until the journey has been completed.

Before they are old enough for Facebook

Sat, 04 Nov 2017 13:04:24 GMT

Miia Hiltunen, our In-game Advertising Manager, delivered a speech and participated in a workshop to further discuss the challenges on how to effectively engage children on the internet at Il Forum Kids Products Marketing in Warsaw, Poland, on the 28^th of September.

The Polish kids have embraced MovieStarPlanet and according to a study conducted in collaboration with our local partner, Mediafarm, 50% of 10 to 12-year-old girls in Poland play MovieStarPlanet. MovieStarPlanet’s success in engaging Polish children can of course be traced to a multitude of factors. We believe two of the key contributors to be cultural fit and emphases on creating a positive and safety focused community – two topics explored by Miia’s speak at the event.

Il Forum Kids Products Marketing is an event focused on inspiring marketeers by presenting new and innovative solutions. MovieStarPlanet is an expert when it comes to engaging kids on the internet – we offer a vast selection of advertising products for brands to utilize when targeting kids who are yet to be old enough to be on Facebook. The positivity of the MovieStarPlanet community can also be detected in attitudes towards advertising. When asked, 80% of our Polish users reported to like watching incentivized video ads on MovieStarPlanet.

Do not hesitate to contact us to hear more about advertising solutions on MovieStarPlanet!

Growing Games: Strategy! Planning! Oh my!

Thu, 02 Nov 2017 13:06:44 GMT

On Monday the 25th of September MovieStarPlanet hosted the Interactive Denmark’s Growing Games event. The day’s topic was corporate strategy and it included keynote speeches from three exciting speakers: Robin Flodin of Toadman Interactive in Stockholm, Rune Vendler of Wargaming Copenhagen and Søren Lundgaard from Ghostship Games.

The experienced keynote speakers took the participants through how to work with strategy and planning in a company that operates in the games industry.

IMG_3421

Growing Games is the place where leaders of the Danish game companies get together to meet each other and to talk business.

Thank you Interactive Denmark for inspiring day! Find more info about upcoming events here.

RoboBlastPlanet & Flash Online Conference

Thu, 21 Apr 2016 09:42:32 GMT

We are extremely proud that our company is filled with enthusiastic and talented people. On Friday, April 1st, our principal programmer Javier Abud & game developer Ramiro Bazan from team RoboBlastPlanet presented some of the technical feats that they’ve been able to achieve so far at the Flash Online Conference #13.

The Flash Online Conference showcases the latest technology, frameworks and roadmap for the Adobe AIR and its Stage3D abstraction of OpenGL/DirectX. The conference is organized by Sergey Gonchar and is hosted online so that anyone interested can take part to it. You can hear the presentation here, starting from 2:33.

The RoboBlastPlanet team presented a number of technical details such as how profiling is used to improve performance, the hot reloading of assets for improved efficiency and some memory saving techniques that the have been used to significantly reduce the memory footprint of the game. See the slides from the presentation below!

The tech. behind RoboBlastPlanet from Javier Abud

Easter fun at the office

Fri, 15 Apr 2016 12:25:59 GMT

MovieStarPlanet enjoys office parties and having fun together. These workplace gatherings are important for many reasons. They bring us movie stars from all the different teams together, allow us to socialize with one another more informally, and help build and strengthen relationships. Additionally they enhance the culture of our workplace, making it fun and enjoyable.

Normally we gather together on Friday afternoons, but on special occasions, like Easter, also out families join the fun. See pictures from out latest party below! Hope you all had a nice Easter! 🙂

Halloween at MovieStarPlanet

Tue, 17 Nov 2015 09:01:02 GMT

Ghosts and goblins, Spooks galore, Scary Witches at your door. Jack-O-Lanterns Smiling Bright, MovieStarPlanet wishes you a Happy Haunting Night!

Here at MovieStarPlanet we love Halloween. That shows both online and offline. We got into the Halloween spirit through our weekly theme and Halloween event, which made sure that our fans had plenty of Halloween fun on the site.

As usual, we wanted to create something unique to our users, so everyone who completed the Halloween event on MovieStarPlanet, was rewarded with this scary cool Bonster:

The Halloween theme was completed with our traditional Halloween office party. MovieStarPlanet team and our loved ones dressed up in wonderful costumes that made the evening even more special. The creativity of the costumes also showed how awesome and talented people we have working here!

Looking forward to the party next year!

Bronze medal in The Lovie Awards!

Tue, 13 Oct 2015 11:32:30 GMT

The past year MovieStarPlanet has made great efforts to create engaging integrated advertising campaigns on our platforms.

We are very proud to announce that one of those integrated advertising campaigns, Bella and the Bulldogs VS MovieStarPlanet, won bronze medal in The Lovie Awards! We want to thank our fantastic partners in UK for making this great campaign with us!

This video is hosted by YouTube, which may use cookies and process your data.

BIG NEWS!

Mon, 15 Jun 2015 08:21:17 GMT

We are extremely happy and proud to announce that we exceeded 250 million users on MovieStarPlanet!
It’s an unbelievable number and an achievement only made possible through great efforts from the amazing MovieStarPlanet-team every single day.

Most importantly the biggest thank you goes to our awesome users.

This calls for a celebration!

MSP participated at European Expert Conference on Media Education and Child Protection

Tue, 28 Apr 2015 11:49:12 GMT

The Head of Safety at MovieStarPlanet, Vernon Jones, participated with over 240 other experts, researchers and stakeholders to a meeting in Berlin to develop a roadmap for children growing up with media.

“Net Children 2020 – Growing up with Media” European Expert conference, hosted by the German Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMFSFJ), klicksafe.de and the Hans Bredow Institute, brought together experts to plan a roadmap for media education and the protection of children and youths, and current needs for action and potential solutions. Jones was asked to facilitate the input from industry delegates on the topic “How can Social, Political and Regulatory Frameworks Contribute to Media Education and Youth Protection?”

“The conference gave experts a great opportunity to look forward to 2020 and give input on what can be achieved to further improving safeguarding issues and access to positive content for children”, Jones explained after returning from Germany.

For MovieStarPlanet, safety has the highest priority and we are always looking at ways to further improve our child safeguarding standards. This is why we send our support and safety team members to attend to these conferences. It allows us to gain knowledge on latest trends and network with other experts in the field of online child safeguarding.

Read more about Vernon and our safety mechanisms from here.

We’re thrilled to welcome our new Chief Marketing Officer Jan Møller

Thu, 12 Mar 2015 13:39:41 GMT

MovieStarPlanet has named Jan Møller as its new Chief Marketing Officer, reporting to founder and CEO Claus Lykke Jensen.

“We are very excited having Jan on board. As we move into the next phase of our growth, it is crucial for MovieStarPlanet to have leadership with deep expertise in digital marketing and sales. With Jan’s strong background in the industry, he will help us grow in those fields” said Jensen.

With expertise in eCommerce, kids advertising and media agencies, Møller will oversee MovieStarPlanet’s global marketing and communications.
“I’m thrilled to join MovieStarPlanet, a company that is unique, innovative and growing. Based on my career path it was premeditated for me to join MovieStarPlanet – the most fun place to work in Copenhagen” said Møller.

Møller recently served as Head of Marketing managing a high performance eCom marketing team, driving development and implementation of consistent shop identities, strong communication platforms and competitive market positions, as well as turnaround towards a profitable webshop.

Prior to that, he has served as Head of Sales and Marketing in the most successful online supermarket in Denmark. In addition he has been building and running his own businesses within the field of media, marketing, and advertising for games, toys and movies to kids.

He holds a Master of Science in Business Administration and Management Science from Copenhagen Business School.

“My entrepreneurial spirit coupled with the precision of a mathematician I’m driven by innovative solutions that make a difference through different creative approaches” Møller explained.

The whole MovieStarPlanet team gives Jan the warmest welcome and looks forward working with him.

Let’s create a better internet together

Fri, 13 Feb 2015 14:55:12 GMT

MovieStarPlanet Celebrates Safer Internet Day 2015

Safer Internet Day (SID) is held on the 2nd Tuesday in February each year to promote safer and more responsible use of online technology and mobile phones, especially among children and young people across the world.

The theme for this year is ‘Let’s create a better internet together’. It focuses on how we all – children, young people, parents and guardians, teachers, industry, politicians and decision makers alike – can help create a better internet. The event, which started as an EU initiative, is now celebrated in more than 100 countries.

In championing a better internet, we want to encourage young people to embrace technology and we want to make the most of their online experience, while giving them the resilience, skills, knowledge and support they need to navigate any online risks they may come across.

Raising awareness is also our responsibility

For the 3rd year running MovieStarPlanet helped celebrate the SID by having a special theme in game. This included specially designed in game T-shirts and other SID items that proved to be very popular with our users.

As a member of the working group set up by the Danish Safer Internet Center, MovieStarPlanet attended a workshop for parents at the Danish Film Institute to celebrate Safer Internet Day 2015.

We will also be attending the EU Safer Internet Forum in October 2015 to show our commitment to these EU Commission events that a re aimed at creating a better internet for children and young people.

Read more about Safer Internet Day from here.

MovieStarPlanet goes to Barcelona – this year’s company adventure

Mon, 15 Dec 2014 14:33:16 GMT

We are from the North and don’t mind the occasional dark and cold days, as long as we can also bask in the sun every now and again. Hey, even Vikings need their Vitamin D, right? This is the story of this year’s company trip which has taken us to the warm beaches and blue waters of the Mediterranean.

Because our team has put a great deal of effort into making MovieStarPlanet the best social network for kids and tweens, it has been decided that Barcelona would be the best place for us to recharge our solar dependent batteries this year. As a very welcomed reward, our company trip this year has taken us on a Spanish adventure where we had loads of fun – the kind that all Movie Stars should have!

It’s not the first time we all travel together to Spain for our yearly company holiday! We’ve been to Palma de Mallorca in 2013, but this year our bigger team needed to explore and conquer new places!

Since our trip needed a story line, we focused on bringing the MovieStarPlanet digital world into the real world, and therefore planned activities with the purpose of having fun, being creative, working together, interacting with the surroundings and, finally, putting it all together in a movie. This is how it all went down:

On Friday, people were divided into groups with awesome names of MovieStarPlanet themes. All teams had to show their creativity by coming up with a team slogan. The joyful teams had to compete in competitions like tug-of-war, burying a team player and surviving the obstacle course. The day has concluded at a very nice tapas restaurant, where everybody was showcasing smiles on sunburnt faces.

The adventure continued on Saturday, when we’ve put together sightseeing and a challenge hunt, which gave us the chance to locate some of Barca’s most iconic sights. It all has been documented through pictures and videos for the final movie production.

In pure Mediterranean spirit, we’ve garnished all this hard (but amazingly fun) work with some siesta and an evening party at a restaurant by the sea. Everybody seemed to have brought their dancing shoes, because the fiesta didn’t end before the early hours of the morning.

Back in Copenhagen, we had a good laugh and were amazed at the final results of our efforts to become Movie Stars and Film Directors for the weekend. With a lingering note of sea salt above our heads, some unshaken grains of sand left in our shoes and great memories to share for the year to come, we can definitely say we had an awesome time together!

MovieStarPlanet wins “Most Innovative Company in Denmark” Prize at EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2014

Tue, 02 Dec 2014 15:07:00 GMT

We are very proud to announce that MovieStarPlanet ApS has been awarded with an outstanding distinction! On Thursday, we have been awarded the prize for the most innovative company in Denmark, at the very prestigious EY Entrepreneur of the Year competition. The two other finalists in the category were also companies on the forefront of Danish innovation and business success: Global Connect ApS and Laser Touch ApS. Coming ahead of such prominent companies, makes us even more grateful for being recognized for our core values and achievements.

At MovieStarPlanet innovation is center piece of the way we do business and drive growth. By winning the Innovation category at the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year we can now also boast for being officially recognized as the country’s most innovative company. The Innovation category celebrates companies that have a special eye for innovation, with an innovative mindset. The companies in this category have contributed to their position as market leaders and been the focal point for growth and development. Innovation is about much more than just the creation of new products and services – it is about developing and optimizing all parts of the business.

“MovieStarPlanet is a social network with strong social and creative components – and where it is not only the company but also the millions of users, who unfold these. MovieStarPlanet was among the first who created a social network for children online and has been a step ahead of other social media, “says the Bjarne Clausen, CEO of Haldor Topsoe ApS, who, on behalf of the jury, presented the award to the winner.

At the Danish Chamber of Commerce MovieStarPlanet is recognized as a prime example of Denmark’s innovative capabilities: “Innovation is paramount in the global competition, and Denmark has some strong cards. But we have been hard hit by the crisis, and all the more impressive is the fact that Movie Star Planet has been able to capture and maintain its position in such a competitive field as games market, “says Market Director of the Danish Chamber of Commerce, Søren Friis Larsen.

Read the official announcement on the EY website.

MSP participated at Europol Annual Experts Seminar 2014

Mon, 01 Dec 2014 15:26:30 GMT

The Head of Safety at MovieStarPlanet, Vernon Jones, was asked to speak at the Europol Annual Experts Seminar on Child Sexual Exploitation. This important seminar brings together Law Enforcement Agencies, NGO’s and The Private Sector to further cooperation in safeguarding children.

‘The safety of children is given the highest priority by everyone working at MovieStarPlanet and attending these meetings we are able to gain knowledge and network with other experts in the field of safeguarding children’

The Europol Expets Seminar is an annual event and MovieStarPlanet is looking forward to attending next years seminar.

Great fun at MSP’s Halloween Party 2014!

Wed, 05 Nov 2014 10:46:16 GMT

“Eye of newt, and toe of frog, Wool of bat, and tongue of dog, Adder’s fork, and blind-worm’s sting, Lizard’s leg, and owlet’s wing, For a charm of powerful trouble, Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.” (Shakespeare)

Did you get into the Halloween spirit? We certainly did here at MovieStarPlanet! Halloween is a great occasion for us to put our creative minds to work and to have fun. Just like in previous years, we have celebrated Halloween globally through our weekly theme and competitions, which gave our fans the chance to create awesome MovieStarPlanet content:

Of course, the Boonies couldn’t have missed the party and the Halloween Boonie joined all the users who completed our quests:

Our Copenhagen office has also turned into a ghoulish and scary retreat for the Halloween evening and we have been joined by friends and family to help us carving up the almighty pumpkin. Kids and grown-ups alike dressed up in ghastly, gruesome costumes made up for a wonderful evening with a very hygge atmosphere, as we like to call it here in Denmark.

MSP among the finalists of the “Entrepreneur of the Year” competition

Thu, 30 Oct 2014 14:43:08 GMT

The EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ programme is considered one of the world’s most prestigious business awards and is held in more than 145 cities and in more than 60 countries worldwide. It is both Denmark and the world’s most acclaimed entrepreneur competition. Among its winners are Michael Dell (Dell Inc.), Jeff Bezos (Amazon.com) and Jeff Weiner (LinkedIn). In Denmark, the first EY Entrepreneur Of The Year prize was awarded in 1997 and the list of Danish winners includes the likes of Jysk A/S, Dyrberg Kern A/S, Pandora Jewelry A/S, Monjasa A/S and Haldor Topsoe.

This year’s regional edition of EY in Copenhagen has given us a reason to celebrate: MovieStarPlanet has qualified among the competition’s five finalists, together with renowned companies such as Illums Bolighus, Sticks’n’Sushi, Lakrids by Johan Bulow and Sitecore. It is a great honor to be included on this list of successful companies, because we all share one common goal (the same one awarded by the EY programme): creating a local and international environment where innovation and creativity can germinate.

As part of the competition, MovieStarPlanet is also participating to become the best startup (companies that are maximum 7 years old) in Denmark at the national EY event on November 27th, so we will come back with more (good) news. In the mean time, we have marked the occasion with some delicious cake:

MovieStarPlanet was at the ITU Match Making event

Tue, 07 Oct 2014 13:33:39 GMT

MovieStarPlanet is a company in a constant quest to find its perfect match in terms of talented people. That’s why we took part in the ITU Match Making event last week: we know it takes the best people to produce the greatest success stories.

ITU Match Making is a career fair of the IT-University which is held twice a year in April and October. It’s a great occasion for IT-University students to talk to visiting companies where they might find interesting prospects for future careers. It is also a good chance to discuss project collaboration or inspiration for projects or simply explore ideas. In other words the ITMM is for all students – not just those who are looking for a real job and a great opportunity for companies to inspire and get inspiration.

Below you can see the MovieStarPlanet team and their colorful booth, ready to talk to students and, who knows, future colleagues!

MovieStarPlanet has launched its official Webshop!

Wed, 01 Oct 2014 09:19:46 GMT

Great news from the fashion world! You can now shop at the official MovieStarPlanet Webshop!

Responding to an ever-growing number of requests from our fans, we have now launched THE place where MSP comes to the real world. Tweens from Denmark, Norway, Sweden (and, soon, other countries in Europe) can now browse through an exciting selection of T-shirts, boasting the beloved MSP logos, characters and other very creative designs.

Since we spare no effort into making things the MSP way (fun and with a strong sense of quality) we have chosen to partner with CoBrand – one of the strongest partners in the licensing industry – to spearhead our e-commerce efforts. Furthermore, all shirts are made in a responsible manner, using high quality fabrics, certified with Ecotex label.

Just to make our fans even happier, within the coming months we are planning to introduce additional categories, relevant for tweens, such as: bedding sets, towels, water bottles, gym bags.

As for communication, we like to talk to our fans directly, bringing beloved items at their convenience: directly inside the MSP universe, at the core of their engagement with our brand.

So check out our Webshop, let us know your thoughts and do some shopping! Christmas is coming!

MSP attended the POSCON Meeting in Prague

Thu, 18 Sep 2014 08:25:35 GMT

Keeping our users safe while online is our number one priority. Thus, we spare no effort into keeping up to date with the latest information regarding online safety and the production of positive content for children. We therefore maintain a permanent line of discussion with other producers of positive content, NGOs and Governmental representatives.

Vernon Jones, MovieStarPlanet’s Head of Safety, has recently attended the POSCON (Positive Content and Services for Children in Europe) meeting in Prague. This is a project sponsored by the EU Safer Internet Program and it brings together producers of content, NGOs and Governmental representatives in Europe. The 4th edition of POSCON has focused on:

Business models for producing positive content (as well as positive content for children with special needs)
Review of positive content services in member states
Complete and review the book on Positive Content to be launched in Brussels at EU Safer Internet Forum in November
Discussion about availability of gateways / portals (such as FragFinn in Germany) giving parents access to sites that have been assessed as offering positive content

MPS believes in a world where children have a right to access educational, professionally produced and entertaining content. Therefore, we will strive to bring these topics as high as possible on the online safety agenda. We will also continue to maintain and constantly improve the quality of our content and safety of our users online.

MSP survived the Zombierun

Tue, 16 Sep 2014 13:05:46 GMT

We don’t need an excuse to run in a marathon or a race. However, when there’s a horde of zombies chasing after us, you can bet we’ll put as much distance, as fast as possible between the walking dead and us. Luckily that’s just a Hollywood scenario for now, but we did train for it this weekend at the annual Zombierun in the Vallensbæk Mose park in Copenhagen.

The Zombierun is a great ocassion for a 5 km long run, demanding not only fitness, but also creativity and wits to evade the hungry zombies. The rules are simple: You can enter as a runner or zombie. Each runner has 3 lives that the zombie tries to take. For each life lost you have to run an extra short detour. Watch the video below to get more gritty details:

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MSP sent both survivors and zombies to the race and, as always, it all ended with loads of fun!

MSP ran in the DHL Relay Race

Mon, 15 Sep 2014 15:10:23 GMT

Copenhagen loves to run and so does MSP! Following an already established tradition, MSP sent some of its best runners to this year’s edition of the DHL Relay Race. If you don’t know what this great event is, here’s a short introduction:

DHL Relay Race takes place once a year in the popular park Fælledparken in Copenhagen’s Østerbro area. More than 100,000 competitors convene during the five day event. Participants compete in teams of five persons who each run five kilometres. The race is an annual tradition and a social event for many organisations and companies as well as families and friends, who team up to participate in the biggest event of its kind in the world. The runners will start and end in the park. Also, a great part of the track runs through the park optimising the cheering opportunity for the audience and the team mates in the tents. After the run, it is tradition to enjoy a picninc dinner together.

As you can see in the pictures, our runners had a great time (save from some muscle cramps and soars) and we’ll definitely be there next year again:

MSP celebrates 1 million downloads for Boonieverse

Wed, 10 Sep 2014 10:00:47 GMT

Last Friday was a very happy day for us, here, at MSP! Our favorite adventure game, Boonieverse, has achieved an awesome milestone: 1 million downloads (and counting).

It has been a very exciting journey for Boonieverse, since its launch in February 2014, and we are both proud and happy to see so many users downloading and loving our app. Of course, this is only the beginning, as our furry creatures are planning to bring joy to many more kids in the coming months.

With a number of new and exciting features ready to hit the App Store & Google Play in the near future, Boonieverse is here to stay and make a big name for itself.

As for us, in the Copenhagen office, the day was marked with a delicious cake and a big round of applause for the Boonieverse team. Here they are:

UK Safer Internet Center features Safety Resources available at MovieStarPlanet

Wed, 25 Jun 2014 08:32:50 GMT

The British Government has instructed UK Safer Internet Center to include information to their website showing the Safety Resources available to parents on all major social networking sites for children. MovieStarPlanet has been included to the list and is featured in the company of the other major social networks present in the UK.

In MovieStarPlanet we work very hard to ensure our users’ safety online, which is one of our key priorities. We implement state of the art world filtering systems that meet international safety standards, have live moderators in every country 24 hours a day and continuously educate ourselves on safety best practices. It is rewarding that key stakeholders, such as UK Safer Internet Center, recognize our efforts and we can work together towards keeping children safe within online space.

You read more about this on the UK Safer Internet Center site by clicking here.

By: Vernon Jones – Head of Safety at MovieStarPlanet

MovieStarPlanet Weekly Themes

Wed, 30 Apr 2014 13:33:44 GMT

Real world inspiration

for the tween digital sphere

In order to keep up to date with the users’ latest wishes, needs and the latest developments in the world around them, each week MovieStarPlanet creates a new weekly theme.

Why have weekly themes?

The themes are designed to introduce users to different cultures around the world as well as different sub-cultures within society. They reflect contemporary trends in both fashion and beauty and are in tandem with the tween world tastes and popular culture. They also ensure that there is always something new to explore each week, keeping the game fun and interesting.

What do users learn?

What is fantastic about the themes is that users can learn that they can be whoever they want to be and that they have the right to express themselves through their hair, makeup and clothing. Moreover, they also learn that they don’t have to conform to any particular subset of society and can change styles as frequently as they like.

What goes into the making of a weekly theme?

A huge amount of effort on the part of graphic designers goes into the making of each week’s theme, from the concept stage to its full execution. Each theme not only features a different background for the whole game, but also various outfits, hair styles, make up, animations, backgrounds and items for the users’ rooms.

To show the huge amount of inspirational pictures from fashion and beauty that inspire the making of each theme, we have create a Pinterest board for all of the recent themes, such as Glitter Grunge, Punk Royale and Astrolicious. The boards include fashion and beauty inspiration shots relevant to each week’s theme.

Follow the Official MovieStarPlanet Pinterest account to get the latest news and updates!

Focus Group Game Testing

Thu, 24 Apr 2014 09:39:05 GMT

Here at MovieStarPlanet HQ in Copenhagen, we love inviting our users over to our offices for focus group events, to make sure we are always up to date and that our games meet their needs and wishes. That’s how we help keep MovieStarPlanet a fun and ever evolving place for tweens.

Last Friday, we hosted a group of MSP enthusiasts in the age group from 8-13, who were testing our brand new and secret game! The boys were getting an exclusive sneak peak behind the latest MSP game under development and were given the opportunity to influence how we move forward with the project.

They have provided invaluable feedback to help us move forward. Both Aiste from the Marketing team and Daniel from the development team had a blast showing them the latest features and explaining the concepts. Such events prove that making innovation happen is impossible without user feedback and research, which is why MovieStarPlanet highly values the group’s findings. Plus, it’s a whole lot of fun!

After all the activities, we rewarded the dedicated and deserving testers with prizes for their valiant efforts.

Are you based around the Copenhagen area? Would you like to participate in a focus group event?

We are always looking for sharp MSP testers in the age range of 8-13 and their parents. If you or your school would like to get involved, please do not hesitate to contact Marie at mbs@moviestarplanet.com. The more the merrier!

MovieStarPlanet at DTU Careers Fair

Wed, 16 Apr 2014 09:16:08 GMT

On 9th and 10th April, the MovieStarPlanet team had the pleasure to attend Denmark’s largest career fair, the DSE Messe, taking place in Lyngby at the Danish Technical University.

Each year the fair is organized by Students’ Business Contact/De Studerendes Erhverskontakt (DSE) and attracts over 130 of Denmark’s leading companies companies together with many fascinating student associations. Spread across 5000 square meters, it’s an ideal place to meet potential employees and potential partners.

Armed with laptops, tablets, the team met with hundreds of talented students interested in a pursuing a career in the Gaming industry. We loved chatting to all the curious attendees and by the end of the fair, the chocolate supply was completely depleated!

We can’t wait to come back next year to meet even more amazing talent!

Child Internet Safety Summit 2014

Wed, 12 Mar 2014 14:56:42 GMT

MovieStarPlanet is proud to be attending this year’s Child Internet Safety conference taking place on 3 July 2014 in Westminster, London.

Aside from digital businesses, over 300 online safety professionals will be in attendance, including senior advisors, government policy officials, educators and NGO representatives from a range of charities.

Already in its second year, the conference keynote speakers include Peter Davies, the Chief Executive Officer of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) and Maria Miller, the British Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport.

Vernon Jones, the Head of Safety at MovieStarPlanet, comments “we were thrilled to be invited to exhibit at the conference. Since last year’s conference, online child safety regulation has made significant progress thanks to the involvement of policy makers and large companies. We look forward to taking the debate even further.”

He adds, “not only are we keen to be a part of the conversation with government representatives and legislators, but we are also highly interested in liaising with teachers and parents in order to discuss a holistic approach to educating all stakeholders regarding online safety. It is an issue that is extremely close to our hearts that there can never be enough debate about.”

The three core objectives of the CIS summit are:

To protect children from online dangers by making them aware of their digital footprint, virtual predators and other cyber dangers
To prevent children from being abused whilst online by assisting them to become more mindful about the sites/content they access every day.
To pursue those responsible for producing online child abuse images and harmful/offensive content by educating parents, teachers and children about the multitude of ways in which they can use the web and still be safe online.

We greatly look forward to participating in this year’s Child Internet Safety Summit and meeting some of our existing UK partners including CEOP, Childnet, UK Safer Internet Center and UKCCIS.

See you in July!

MSP at Nordic Game Jam 2014

Tue, 25 Feb 2014 14:16:25 GMT

This Valentine’s weekend, MovieStarPlanet took part in one of the biggest video gaming industry events in Denmark and worldwide – Nordic Game Jam.

Taking place at the Aalborg University campus in Copenhagen, the aim of the weekend-long event is to gather a variety of gaming enthusiasts across disciplines. In small teams, the groups create a computer or board games within the space of 48 hours. It’s a space for testing out new platforms, engaging in high intensity problem solving, and above all, having some nerdy fun!

Image courtesy of Nordic Game Jam Facebook Page

The MSP team consisted of 11 gaming enthusiasts, who worked with both industry veterans and newcomers to gain new insights, network and create breakthrough games as a part of multidisciplinary teams.

Additionally, Nordic Game Jam is also where we look for our future talent and engage with our current fans.

As proud sponsors of the event, we had the opportunity to set up our own stand prior to the start of the jam. Armed with MSP badges, chocolage. laptops and print outs of available positions, representatives from across MSP disciplines enjoyed connecting with a broad spectrum of members of the gaming community. The game jam proved to be a hugely inspirational event and it was uplifting to see so many talented gamers of all ages involved!

Thanks to all for a great game jam and we look forward to taking part next year!

Interested in meeting us at the next event?

Mark your calendars:

3rd April – IT Matchmaking at IT University of Copenhagen from 10:00-14:00 (right next door to our HQ!)
9^th and 10^th of April – DSE, the largest job and career fair, at DTU in Lyngby

We look forward to seeing you!

MovieStarPlanet featured in Edge Magazine

Tue, 11 Feb 2014 12:25:49 GMT

Edge, one of world’s most respected gaming magazines, featured a profile of MovieStarPlanet on their website delving deeper into the world of online tween gaming. The magazine interviewed the CEO Claus Lykke Jensen and our former communications manager Helene towers covering topics ranging from online child safety and the fine balance of making money from a kids product and acting responsibly.

The magazine highlights that MSP is “built on robust educational foundations, and is driven by a deeply rooted concern for the online safety of its players.”

Commenting on the issue of safety and money, Claus explains: “because we’re targeting the kids market, as well as safety, we also think about spending money. We really want to be a responsible company, we don’t want to be one of those that exploits players – because we think it’s both wrong and a bad business decision in the long run. We have spending limits, so kids can only spend a certain amount within a given time frame. If we want parents to know us as a safe and responsible company, we can’t ask too much.”

Go to link

Celebrating Safer Internet Day 2014

Fri, 07 Feb 2014 12:40:48 GMT

On 11 February 2014, MovieStarPlanet is celebrating Safer Internet Day together with our users and the global online community. Safer Internet Day (SID) takes place annually in February and its goal is to promote safer and more responsible use of online technology, especially among children and young people. The theme for this year’s event is ‘Let’s create a better internet together.’

Promoting SID 2014 inside the game

The events for SID 2014 will be organized and produced within the MovieStarPlanet game space. We will be holding events within the online community relating to safer internet issues and creating a better internet together. Children are encouraged take part in the theme in order to update their knowledge or gain new insights about online safety, so that they can feel confident about navigating the internet in a more informed and safe manner. MovieStarPlanet moderators will wear special SID 2014 t-shirts with the slogan ‘Let’s create a better internet together’ within the game. The t-shirts will be visible on their avatars when they are online to make them easily identifiable. Additionally, an exclusive in game MovieStarPlanet item was made available on the 31st January to mark SID 2014. Top all of the efforts up, special pop ups with messages about SID 2014 will appear within the game, when users log on.

Safety above all

MovieStarPlanet is passionate about defending everyone’s right to express their views openly and freely in a safe, supportive and nurturing environment. Children have the right and are given the opportunity to express themselves on MovieStarPlanet forums and through the production of their own films and art work. This is reflected in our commitment in upholding Article 13 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Online rights come with responsibilities toward all users of MovieStarPlanet, but especially in terms of safeguarding all children who use the online community. Where that right of expression conflicts with protecting a child from bullying, exploitation or abuse, we believe the welfare of the child must be the highest priority. We therefore promote online rights for children and take producing positive content within a safe environment very seriously. MovieStarPlanet is a proud supporter of SID 2014’s values and we are excited to take part in such an important online safety landmark.

TRUSTe certification for MSP

Wed, 15 Jan 2014 09:46:58 GMT

MovieStarPlanet has been formally assessed and accepted within a so called ‘safe harbour program’ by TRUSTe.

The TRUSTe Children’s Program has been approved by the US Federal Trade Commission as an authorized safe harbor under the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). MovieStarPlanet has been certified as meeting the COPPA legislation by TRUSTe.

This program ensures that companies providing online services to children, under the age of 13, meet stringent rules on protecting the online privacy of children. We are proud to have been awarded the COPPA Children Program Seal and look forward to further cooperation with TRUSTe and the US Federal Trade Commission.

By: Vernon Jones – Head of Safety at MovieStarPlanet

FOSI 2014 Conference in Washington DC – MSP Head of Safety Attends

Wed, 13 Nov 2013 13:54:35 GMT

On November 6th and 7th the Family Online Safety Institute hosted their 7th Annual Conference in Washington, DC. The two-day event, entitled “Connect, Share, Empower” drew together many of the key themes in online safety and privacy from the US, Europe and Australia. The event took place at the Ronald Reagan Building and featured a wide array of speakers and attendees from around the world.

Attending these international events gives enormous value in terms of gaining up to ate knowledge on research in this area as well as giving the opportunity to network with professional colleagues working with online safety issues from all over the world…. It once again shows our commitment to being at the cutting edge in terms of gaining knowledge in the fast developing online child safety and privacy arena.

While in Washington the Community manager for the US and I, were able to visit the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children, to further consolidate our cooperation with this internationally known online child safeguarding agency.

By: Vernon Jones – Head of Safety at MovieStarPlanet

Head of Safety, Vernon Jones – Guest Speaker at Europol Training Course

Tue, 05 Nov 2013 10:33:11 GMT

MovieStarPlanet’s Head of Safety, Vernon Jones was the guest speaker at the 14^th Europol training course on combating the sexual exploitation of children on the Internet (COSEC) to be held in Germany on 29 October 2013.

Jones, who has 20 years’ experience in child protection, both on and offline, has made great strides since joining MovieStarPlanet over one year ago, in making MovieStarPlanet a game commended for its online safety features and measures.

As a member of Europol Platform of Experts, Jones presented the industry perspective on combatting child sexual exploitation on the Internet and the need for industry groups to cooperate with Law Enforcement Agencies.

“I am honoured to have been asked to present at COSEC this year” said Jones. “It validates the measure that MovieStarPlanet takes in ensuring children are safe while online. It is a great achievement to be seen as an industry leader and expert in the field. We work hard every day at MovieStarPlanet to make our game fun and safe” Jones continued.

For more on the COSEC training course, read the Europol press release.

MovieStarPlanet among favorite kids websites: Washington Post

Mon, 04 Nov 2013 13:02:12 GMT

Center City has Class of KidsPost

Kate Kelliher’s fifth-grade class at Center City Public Charter School on Capitol Hill is November’s Class of KidsPost. The group enjoys a wide range of games, television shows and Web sites. But the 19 students would have no problem creating a menu for a class party.

Favorite author: Matt Phelan edged out Jeff Kinney (of “Wimpy Kid” fame) as the go-to author. Phelan’s books, including his recent “Bluffton,” are historical fiction graphic novels. Third place went to Beverly Cleary, who has written more than 30 kids books, including the popular “Ramona” series.

Favorite TV show: There was no clear winner in this category. Comedies “Sam & Cat” and “Liv and Maddie” each received two votes. Other choices included “Teen Wolf,” “Full House” and “The Voice.”

Favorite game: FourSquare was most popular. Other games mentioned were Uno, “Just Dance 4,” “Temple Run” and Scrabble.

How much time do you spend on the Internet? This class was split between those who went online less than two hours a week and those who used the Internet more than four hours each week.

Favorite Web site: A long list of favorites featured YouTube, WeeWorld, MovieStarPlanet, Roblox and Monkey Quest.

Do you have a cellphone? All but one student answered “yes.”

Favorite pizza topping: If these fifth-graders had to select one kind of pizza for a party, it would be pepperoni. More than half said it’s their favorite. If they could make a second choice, they would pick sausage.

Favorite ice cream flavor: For a class party that involved ice cream, cookies and cream would be the flavor of choice. For a double dip, they would go for vanilla.

What’s the biggest problem in the world? Crime was by far the biggest problem these kids identified.

What do you want to be when you grow up? Professional football player tied with teacher for the most-popular profession. Several aim to be performers: Three students want to become dancers and three want to be singers.

Check it out!

MovieStarPlanet’s Head of Safety Guest Speaker at Europol Training Course

Tue, 29 Oct 2013 14:27:14 GMT

MovieStarPlanet’s Head of Safety, Vernon Jones will be a guest speaker at the 14^th Europol training course on combating the sexual exploitation of children on the Internet (COSEC) to be held in Germany on 29 October 2013.

As a member of Europol Platform of Experts, Jones will be presenting the industry perspective on combatting child sexual exploitation on the Internet and the need for industry groups to cooperate with Law Enforcement Agencies.

For more on the COSEC training course, see the Europol Press Release below.

14^th Europol Training Course on Combating the Sexual Exploitation of Children on the Internet, (COSEC)

29 October 2013

The 14th Europol training course on “COmbating the Sexual Exploitation of Children on the Internet” COSEC, held in Selm, Germany, at the LAFP-NRW Police Academy was concluded on 29 October 2013.

This 8-day course provided training for 54 representatives from EU Member States, non-EU States (Australia, Canada, Norway, Switzerland, Moldova and Israel) and Interpol. The training was delivered by trainers from Europol, Belgium, Denmark, Italy, Portugal, France and New Zealand, all of whom have extensive knowledge and experience in investigating and combating the sexual abuse of children online. Guest speakers were invited from Interpol, Lucy Faithful Foundation and MovieStarPlanet.

The training follows European CyberCrime Centre’s approach to cyber crime and its training ethos.

The approach is collegial, with expert trainers and investigators working in the field of child sexual exploitation coming together to network and exchange experiences. The main objective of this annual course is to enhance the expertise of those working in this crime area in the EU and beyond, so that they are better able to investigate, dismantle and prosecute child sex offender networks on the internet, with the rights and safety of the children involved being a priority.

In addition to lectures ranging from perpetrator psychology and the latest online investigation techniques to international cooperation, the course programme includes a wide range of hands-on exercises with the intention of bringing law enforcement investigation standards together.

Since the first course took place in 2000, this highly respected Europol course has provided expert training to approximately 600 law enforcement officers and members of the judiciary from EU Member States and from countries around the world

MovieStarPlanet Teams for Murals

Wed, 25 Sep 2013 12:55:47 GMT

The virtual kids world MovieStarPlanet has signed its first global licensing deal with Omega Sky for a range of wall murals. The deal was brokered by MovieStarPlanet’s licensing agent, Beanstalk.

Fans can pick and choose from characters, pets, Boonies and decorations from the digital world to create a wall mural that is printed to the exact size needed.

The program launched globally earlier this month.

Check it out!

IT Match Making @ IT University

Tue, 24 Sep 2013 10:57:25 GMT

MovieStarPlanet is participating in the upcoming IT matchmaking event at Copenhagen’s IT University.

It matchmaking is designed to help ITU students find their new job through a line of different services, including this great careers fair to be held on 3 October 2013.

MovieStarPlanet will be hosting a booth at the event, so come along and talk to us about what we are doing and the positions we currently have available.

For more information about the event, check out their Facebook page: IT Matchmaking on Facebook

MovieStarPlanet at last year’s even Some photos from last year’s great ITU Matchmaking event

MovieStarPlant’s is Committed to Keeping Children and Young People Safe Online

Tue, 10 Sep 2013 12:53:01 GMT

Head of Safety and Community Manager attend 7th International Conference “Keeping Children and Young People Safe Online” in Warsaw, Poland.

MovieStarPlanet’s Head of Safety, Vernon Jones and Polish Community Manager will be attending the 7th International Conference
“Keeping Children and Young People Safe Online” in Warsaw, Poland on 18-19 September 2013.

MovieStarPlanet strongly believes that keeping children and young people safe online requires a collaborative effort from all industry groups. That is why our Head of Safety, Vernon Jones and our Polish Community Manager will be heading to Warsaw to participate in the 7th International Conference for “Keeping Children and Young People Safe Online”.

This conference will bring together over 500 leaders from the education sector, NGOs, law enforcement, government and industry to discuss a wide variety of issues regarding online safety including; privacy on social networking sites, managing online identity, educational strategies and emerging trends online.

Head of Safety Vernon Jones, “MovieStarPlanet is an extremely popular game in Europe and conferences like this enables us to establish valuable working relationship with key players in the industry. Online gaming is a very progressive field and we need to stay abreast of trends in order to keep one step ahead of our user base.”

The aim of this conference is to raise awareness of the new challenges and opportunities in fighting online threats and to help share best practice across different sectors. “I am so glad that our Polish Community Manager will be joining me at this conference.” Jones continued. “All staff members at MovieStarPlanet are committed to online safety and internal knowledge sharing is wonderfully valuable in the safety education process between staff.”

MovieStarPlanet’s safety features include utilising a combination of automated word filtering systems, user and parent engagement and live moderation throughout the game to be alerted to and monitor online behavior and content. We also purse and cultivate strong working relationships with law enforcement and NGO’s in each country we operate in to ensure we are taking the appropriate steps in keeping users safe while online.

MovieStarPlanet has already established positive third party relationships with NGOs throughout Europe. In Poland we work closely with the Nobody’s Children Foundation which is protecting children from abuse whether that be physical or online and in the Nordics we work with the relevant Save the Children organisations in each country. However, you can never do too much when it comes to keeping children safe and we are committed to ensuring we do everything we can to provide a safe and fun online environment from which children can enjoy playing MovieStarPlanet.

MovieStarPlanet can be played in 15 countries and 10 different languages. It is a fantastically fun online environment where tweens can be creative and expressive through making movies, designing clothes, decorating rooms and Artbooks and chatting with friends in a variety of safe online platforms.

Check it out!

Be cool at school with the MovieStarPlanet’s back-to-school range

Sun, 01 Sep 2013 12:51:10 GMT

The global online hit for tweens, MovieStarPlanet has partnered with Scandecor to launch a back-to-school range just in time for the start of the new school year. This exciting new partnership was established through the leading brand licensing agency Beanstalk, who have been working with MovieStarPlanet’s licensing program since 2011.

MovieStarPlanet has had a huge year so far, reaching over 100 million registered users around the world. This new partnership with Scandecor is perfect to further propel MovieStarPlanet into the physical world and offer fans amazing and colourful products to use and show off to their friends at school. The uniquely recognizable MovieStarPlanet products include posters, greeting cards, stationery sets, folders, desk mats, water bottles, lunch boxes, book labels, pencil cases and much more. All these wonderful products can be purchased across the Nordic region in stores such as Bog & Idé in Denmark, Barnes Hus in Sweden, NorliLibris in Norway and Prisma in Finland (a full list of stores is provided at the end of the release).

MovieStarPlanet has been working hard on expanding its licensing range. “We are extremely happy to be adding a back-to-school range to our existing licensing portfolio” said Claus Lykke Jensen, CEO and Founder of MovieStarPlanet. “MovieStarPlanet the game, is all about encouraging creativity and we believe this range of products developed with Scandecor will now allow tweens to be creative in the classroom, at home and with friends” Jensen continued.

Lotta Andersson, Scandecor’s Product and Licensing Manager is also excited about the partnership. “Partnering with MovieStarPlanet seemed like a natural step for Scandecor” saidAndersson. “We believe MovieStarPlanet is a strong license and the target age group is perfect for our products. In fact, the success of sales has resulted in many-reorders across the region which is very positive to see.”

MovieStarPlanet also offers a unique cross-marketing platform for licensees as some of the products that are available in stores are also available in-game. This means that avid MovieStarPlanet fans can give their movie star avatar and exact copy of their purchased item. This is a great and unique way of promoting products to the more than 1.2 million tweens who log onto MovieStarPlanet in the Nordics each month.

Due to the success of this launch, MovieStarPlanet and Scandecor are working on expanding the back-to-school range to include calendars for 2014, mugs and much more.

Historical image unavailable

Check it out!

MovieStarPlanet partners with Scandecor for Nordic back to school range

Fri, 30 Aug 2013 12:49:14 GMT

Robert Hutchins

Online property believes new partnership will propel it further in bricks and mortar stores.

Global online property, MovieStarPlanet has partnered with Scandecor to launch a new branded back to school range across the Nordic region.

MovieStarPlanet’s unique products already include posters, greeting cards, stationery sets, folders, desk mats, lunch boxes and more.

And the firm believes that the new partnership, brokered by licensing agency Beanstalk, will propel them further in to bricks and mortar stores across its territory.

Claus Lykke Jensen, CEO and founder of MovieStarPlanet, said: “We are extremely happy to be adding a back to school range to our existing licensing portfolio.

“MovieStarPlanet the game, is all about encouraging creativity and we believe this range of products developed with Scandecor will now allow tweens to be creative in the classroom, at home and with friends.”

Lotta Anderson, Scandecor’s product and licensing manager, said: “Partnering with MovieStarPlanet seems like a natural step for Scandecor.

“We believe MovieStarPlanet is a strong license and the target age group is perfect for our products. In fact, the success of sales has resulted in many re-orders across the region which is very positive to see.”

Check it out!

MovieStarPlanet Goes Back to School

Fri, 30 Aug 2013 12:48:07 GMT

The tween gaming and social media brand, MovieStarPlanet, has tapped Scandecor for a back-to-school range in the Nordic region, in a deal brokered by Beanstalk.

The product line includes posters, greeting cards, stationery sets, folders, desk mats, water bottles, lunch boxes, book labels and pencil cases that are now available in stores across in Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland.

“We are extremely happy to be adding a back-to-school range to our existing licensing portfolio,” says Claus Lykke Jensen, chief executive officer and founder, MovieStarPlanet. “MovieStarPlanet the game is all about encouraging creativity, and we believe this range of products developed with Scandecor will now allow tweens to be creative in the classroom, at home and with friends.”

As with other MovieStarPlanet licensed product, some of the items are also available online for players’ avatars.

“We believe MovieStarPlanet is a strong license, and the target age group is perfect for our products. In fact, the success of sales has resulted in many re-orders across the region which is very positive to see,” says Lotta Andersson, product and licensing manager, Scandecor.

Following this success, the partners are already working on an expansion to the line that will include 2014 calendars, mugs and other items.

Check it out!

MovieStarPlanet offers fun, safe, social environment for kids to express creativity

Wed, 24 Jul 2013 12:46:51 GMT

Gibson Johns

Kids are becoming adept to the internet at younger and younger ages, which makes the question of internet safety as relevant as ever. If kids are exploring the internet so early on, how can parents ensure that their children can be safe and smart while also being social and having fun? Look no further than MovieStarPlanet.

MovieStarPlanet is an online social universe ideally for children aged 9 – 15 that combines style, gaming, and social interaction into one big, boldly-colored world for them to explore. Free to play (but with premium content available), MovieStarPlanet allows kids to create their own movie star avatars and customize their outfits, rooms, and lifestyles.

Once they’ve created a stylish avatar, users can then choose to do a multitude of things in an effort to increase their “fame” and earn StarCoins, the currency of the MSP universe. Whether they want to play one of the games in the surprisingly extensive game library, go to MovieTown to make a movie (for fellow users and friends to support in various creative competitions), shop for new clothing using their StarCoins, or adopt a new pet, there is never a dull moment in MovieStarPlanet.

Not only that, but it’s also an incredibly safe and monitored environment made especially for kids. The chat rooms and profiles are closely watched while keeping the MSP code of conduct in consideration. This world is catering as much to the parents as it is the children — and it’s easy to see that.

In addition to an online world accessible on a computer, there is also a relatively new MovieStarPlanet mobile app that allows users to be plugged-in to the social world they’ve created while on the go.

If you haven’t already jumped into the MovieStarPlanet universe, we suggest you do so — it’s fun, it’s social, and it allows players to express themselves creatively and share their visions with their friends.

Check it out!

MovieStarPlanet Head of Safety Down Under

Fri, 05 Jul 2013 12:41:29 GMT

MovieStarPlanet’s Head of Safety Goes Down Under so Safety Comes out on Top

Head of Safety Attends Global Digital Citizenship Conference in AUS and Meets With Key NGOs

MovieStarPlanet’s Head of Safety, Vernon Jones, recently attended the Global Digital Citizenship Conference: Encouraging Safe and Responsible Online Use in Melbourne.

Keeping users safe while online is of the highest priority to MovieStarPlanet. With the digital world changing so rapidly, conferences such as these provide a fantastic platform for MovieStarPlanet’s Head of Safety, Vernon Jones, to discuss the challenges and opportunities that arise in cyber safety.

The conference brought together government officials, academics, the non-profit sector and industry leaders to present and discuss the latest research, trends, issues and innovations with regard to digital citizenship and how we can work together to improve current practices.

The Australian market is a new addition for MovieStarPlanet, launching in January 2013 to great success. “At MovieStarPlanet, we recognize that each country has its own specific requirements and expectations when it comes to online safety,” said Jones.

The Digital Citizenship Conference was a great opportunity for me to liaise with industry leaders in online safety to make sure we are providing the best and safest possible platform for our users, both in Australia and worldwide.”

One of the best ways to do this, is through collaboration with experts in the field of digital citizenship. The conference provided me with a wonderful opportunity to cement our already productive working relationship with the Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI), CyberSmart and the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA).”

MovieStarPlanet utilizes a combination of automated word filtering systems, user and parent engagement and live moderation throughout the game to be alerted to and monitor online behavior and content. MovieStarPlanet also pursue and cultivate strong working relationships with law enforcement and NGOs in each country they operate in to ensure they are taking the appropriate steps in keeping users safe while online.

While in Australia, Jones also met with Child Wise, Australia’s leading international child protection charity and ECPAT Australia, an agency working to ensure children around the world enjoy their fundamental rights to be free and secure both on and off line.

MovieStarPlanet can be played in 15 countries and 11 different languages. It’s a fun online environment where tweens can be creative and expressive through making movies, designing clothes, decorating rooms and artbooks and chatting with friends in a variety of safe online platforms.

Check it out!

MovieStarPlanet now Inhabits 100 Million Users!

Fri, 28 Jun 2013 12:15:28 GMT

Danish MovieStarPlanet has reached one hundred million users, half of whom are actively using service on monthly basis, reports TrendsOnline. MovieStarPlanet specializes in the development and marketing of social interactive games for children aged 8 to 15. Through their personal profiles children can create movie star characters to interact with friends, participate in creative competitions and develop their creative skills.

“Reaching 100 million users in four years is a tribute to both company employees and our users for the great content and game features that are created every day,” says MovieStarPlanet’s CEO Claus Lykke Jensen in a released statement.

MovieStarPlanet is also reaching physical world. Along with magazine that is published in collaborations with Egmont, the company has also launched its own brand in 2013 that focuses on selling T-shirts. The clothes is produced by Fibotex and distributed at Name It stores in Denmark. Buying such T-shirt one gets 100 star coins that can be used in online universe of MovieStarPlanet.

Socialt medie fra Amager runder 100 millioner brugere

Wed, 26 Jun 2013 12:26:38 GMT

Kasper Villium jensen

Mens alle taler om Facebook, Twitter og Google+, vokser et helt andet socialt netværk sig stort på Amager.

Det er tid til at fejre en milepæl for MovieStarPlanet.

Det danske univers for teens og tweens har netop rundet 100 millioner brugere.

Det massive antal afslører, at hvad der startede som en dansk idé, nu er blevet et internationalt hit.

På filmstjerne-planeten skal brugerne skabe deres egen filmstjerne og sætte gang i avatarens karriere. Der skal indkøbes kulisser og tøj og produceres filmklip, som andre brugere vil se, for det er på den måde, at brugerne optjener valuta i universet. Se videoklip nederst.

MovieStarPlanets officielle målgruppe er de 8-15-årige børn. Men den typiske bruger er pige og mellem 9 og 12 år.

Sådan tjener vi penge
MovieStarPlanet er som udgangspunkt gratis at lege med.

Men enkelte funktioner og virtuelle varer (tøj og lignende) er forbeholdt VIP-brugere. Orker børnene ikke at tjene deres egne “penge”, StarCoins, ved at lave film med deres figurer, kan forældre også med rigtige penge købe points til dem.

Den virtuelle verden henter også indtjening i den mere håndgribelige verden. Et partnerskab med Egmont betyder, at der produceres et trykt magasin, som MovieStar-fans kan købe i Norden, Polen og Storbritannien.

Et andet partnerskab består i, at børnene kan købe tøj til sig selv, og oven i hatten får de en digital udgave af tøjet til deres figur i spillet, skriver Bureaubiz.

MovieStarPlanet ligger lige uden for Facebooks målgruppe og er derfor forholdsvist forskånet fra konkurrencen fra Mark Zuckerbergs globale netværk, men det danske online univers vil nu sætte blus under både den tekniske udvikling og de strategiske samarbejder.

Det har taget firmaet fire år at runde 100 millioner registrerede profiler. Cirka halvdelen af brugerne kigger forbi hver måned.

Check it out!

Besuch vom Känguru aus Berlin

Tue, 25 Jun 2013 12:33:14 GMT

Auszeichnung – Schülerin Ayse Alatas gewinnt den dritten Preis bei einem bundesweiten Mathematikwettbewerb

Die Schülerin Ayse Alatas geht in die vierte Klasse der Käthe-Kollwitz-Schule und mag Mathematik. Nun hat sie beim bundesweiten Wettbewerb „Känguru der Mathematik“ den dritten Platz belegt.

Ayse Alatas und ihr Vater staunten nicht schlecht, als sie vor einigen Tagen Post aus Berlin bekamen. Eine Urkunde war gekommen, auf der vermerkt war, dass Ayse beim bundesweiten Mathewettbewerb „Känguru“ den dritten Platz erzielt hat. Damit hatten weder sie noch ihr Vater gerechnet.

„Ich weiß ja, dass meine Tochter gut in Mathe ist, aber das war einfach unglaublich“, erzählt Caner Alatas, der mit seiner Tochter im Darmstädter Pupinweg wohnt. „Immerhin nehmen an diesem Wettbewerb Hunderte vierte Klassen aus ganz Deutschland teil.“

Ayse selbst ist da schon etwas zurückhaltender. „Ich löse einfach gerne Kniffelaufgaben, Rätsel und mag Geometrie“, sagt die zehn Jahre alte Schülerin über ihren Erfolg. „Das macht mir richtig Spaß.“

Erster Platz beim Test in der KollwitzschuleDie schüchterne Viertklässlerin hatte den 75 Minuten dauernden Test zwar an ihrer Grundschule, der Käthe-Kollwitz-Schule in der Waldkolonie, absolviert, und dabei mit 87,5 von 100 Punkten sogar den ersten Platz belegt. Doch die Schule schickte die Unterlagen zur Jury an die Humboldt-Universität nach Berlin, und siehe da: Auch im bundesweiten Vergleich reichte es noch zu Platz drei.

Warum seine Tochter so gut in Mathematik ist, kann sich ihr Vater, der einst als Gastarbeiter nach Deutschland kam, ganz leicht erklären. „Wenn Ayse etwas von mir haben will, muss sie auch etwas dafür tun. Dann lasse ich sie Mathe-Aufgaben lösen, und wenn sie das Pensum schafft, bekommt sie dafür eine Belohnung.“

Eine solche Belohnung ist zurzeit vor allem finanzielle Unterstützung für ein Online-Spiel namens „Moviestar-Planet“, mit dem Ayse viel Zeit verbringt, erzählt ihr Vater. Aber wie andere junge Leute geht sie auch gerne schwimmen oder trifft sich einfach mit Freunden. Außerdem spielt sie hin und wieder Klavier und Gitarre. „Das lässt sie aber in letzter Zeit wieder etwas schleifen“, sagt Alatas.

In der Schule gibt es neben Mathematik noch andere Fächer, die Ayse Spaß machen, zum Beispiel Kunst. „Ich male und zeichne außerdem gern“, erzählt sie. Und auch in diesen Fächern hat sie gute Noten. „Bis auf Sport hat sie eigentlich überall eine Eins“, berichtet ihr Vater stolz. Trotzdem sei Mathematik das erste Fach, in dem sie eine Auszeichnung erhielt.

24 knifflige Aufgaben mit Bravour gelöstObwohl Ayse die 24 Aufgaben des Tests mit Bravour absolvierte, fielen ihr die Antworten nicht alle leicht. So hatte sie zum Beispiel Probleme mit einer Textaufgabe zur Berechnung unterschiedlicher Flächen auf einem Teppich. „Da hab ich wirklich lange davor gesessen, aber bin nicht auf das Ergebnis gekommen“, gibt sie ehrlich zu. Bei anderen Aufgaben war sie dagegen clever, pauste etwa die gefragte geometrische Figur ab, schnitt sie aus und schaute, ob sie in die angegebene Lücke passt.

Weil der Test ihr viel Spaß machte und auch weil es so gut lief, möchte Ayse auch im nächsten Schuljahr wieder an dem Wettbewerb teilnehmen. Dann tritt sie aber nicht mehr für die Kollwitzschule, sondern für die Eleonorenschule an, auf die sie nach den Sommerferien gehen wird. Allerdings werden in der fünften Klasse natürlich auch die Aufgaben schwieriger. „Einen Teil davon hab ich im Buch zum Känguru-Test schonmal gesehen“, erzählt Ayse. „Die sind echt nicht einfach. Da hab ich schon ein bisschen Angst vor.“

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Keeping Kids Connected on MovieStarPlanet

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 12:29:09 GMT

Launched in 2009, MovieStarPlanet is one of the world’s most popular social networking sites for tweens, with more than 100 million registered users in 15 countries and 11 different languages. Interactivity and creativity are key to MovieStarPlanet’s success, and we launch new and improved game features weekly to ensure game progression and user engagement.

Keeping a growing user base of tweens engaged in this expanding and competitive market creates a major challenge for our IT staff, whose main concern is to provide our movie stars with the best possible gaming experience. During peak load times, excessive demand for reads and writes used to lead to excessive queuing, web server timeouts, and sometimes database crashes when the I/O load exceeded our system’s ability to handle performance needs.

This situation was unacceptable, so we implemented a solution using Fusion-io products to better exploit the processing power of our current system and to address the latency issues resulting from our spinning-disk storage.

As the Fusion-io case study shows, initial installation of ioDrives in the US provided immediate performance improvements. The database has no performance issues and moderators have even received reports from loyal users that the site is much more responsive. We found that all the previous bottlenecks were gone. Using Fusion-io allows MovieStarPlanet IT Operations to move from reactive to proactive. We no longer have to worry about the timing of our marketing campaigns and whether our systems can keep up with the surges in traffic as a result of advertising. By preempting the performance bottlenecks, MovieStarPlanet has the infrastructure in place to deal with traffic peaks, without compromising the user experience.

This installation proved so successful, we have since implemented ioDrives on all of our databases worldwide.

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MovieStarPlanet runder 100 mio. bruger

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 12:24:52 GMT

Jesper Krogh Kristiansen

Movie Star Planet has turned a corner: More than 100 million.user profiles have been set up in the game, so that it continues to have impressive growing pains. Since its modest beginnings in 2008, when the game actually was originally developed as a tool for teaching English, there has been quite a bit. Especially in the last few months have really taken off with launches in the growing number of new countries and new languages. Movie Star Planet is now available in 15 different countries in ten different languages.

MovieStarPlanet27

It’s certainly not quite as sexy to develop browser games to a tween audience, as it is to screw full-fat AAA games together. But if you look at the exampleHitman , which has sold something like 35 million.copies throughout the show’s life, so it is still only a third of the number of created profiles on Movie Star Planet .

Movie Star Planet ‘s CEO and founder, Claus Lykke Jensen, myself believe that success is because the game hits the right precisely in relation to the needs of its target group. “We recognize that tweens have a desire to express themselves and be individualistic. And the combination of social interaction and creative content means that we can offer a page that is a really good place to learn and have fun.”

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The game’s success is even so great that it also has begun to manifest itself in the physical world. Since February this year, Egmont started publishing a Movie Star Planet -blade fixed after a specimen was “flying off the shelves at record speed “ . And last there is an agreement with the textile company Fipotex to produce a series of boys and girls clothes, which takes its inspiration from the game’s universe.

Along with Sybos Subway Surfers are MovieStarPlanetone of the last years of the greatest Danish game successes. Both games are examples of Danish game successes may no longer found only in traditional business models with games in box or to download, but also can make the local jurisdiction as browser services or apps.

A selection of the new clothing range which MovieStarPlanet now also behind.

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Ukendt succes: Dansk socialt medie runder 100 mio. brugere

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 12:19:35 GMT

ASBJØRN JØRGENSEN

100 millioner profiler blandt tweens. And counting. MovieStarPlanet er et globalt medie – styret fra Amager.

Officielt hedder aldersgruppen 8-15 år eller 9-15 år – i praksis er det 9-12-årige, og det er langt flere piger end drenge.

Uanset, så har pæredanske MovieStarPlanet rundet de 100 millioner registrerede profiler, oplyser firmaet. 50 millioner af dem besøger tjenesten hver måned.

“At nå 100 millioner brugere på fire år er en hyldest til både firmaets ansatte og vores brugere for det fantastiske indhold og spilfunktioner der skabes hver dag,” siger MovieStarPlanets adm. direktør Claus Lykke Jensen i en pressemeddelelse.

MovieStarPlanet er et socialt medie, hvor brugerne opretter egne profiler og figurer og kan bevæge sig i en verden af glamour, glimmer, filmstjerner og kendisser. Med fans, autografer, chatrooms og indspilning af egne film.

Ifølge Claus Lykke Jensen er der ikke tid til at hvile på laurbærrene i en hastigt udviklende spilleverdenen, og når man henvender sig til teknologivante unge; derfor er der flere planer, både for udvikling af spillet/spilverdenen og for produkter tilknyttet.

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Bl.a. har den virtuelle verden flere produkter og partnerskaber tilknyttet. Et af dem er Egmont, som producerer et trykt magasin med tips, tricks og alt godt til målgruppen – i Norden, Polen, Storbritannien og snart også Frankrig og Tyskland. Et andet og nyt partnerskab drejer sig om tøj, hvor tøjkøberen – ved køb af et stykke tøj i butikken – også får en “kopi” af tøjet til sin figur i spilverdenen.

MovieStarPlanet opererer i et nichemarked blandt de sociale medier, lige under Facebook-alderen, forklarer kommunikationschef Helene Towers til Bureaubiz.

En anden fordel for MovieStarPlanet er, at softwaren og hele universet let kan tilpasses forskellige markeder og forskellige sprog.

“Fordi det er meget grafisk baseret, og indholdet laves af brugerne selv,” siger kommunikationschefen.

Til alle markeder har firmaet dog ansat folk der kan de lokale modersmål, dels centralt på hovedkontoret til overvågningen af hvad der foregår, og dels lokalt til at opbygge og lede communities.

Også markedsføringen på de enkelte markeder kræver lokalt kendskab.

“Vi laver markedsundersøgelser på forhånd. Og vi lægger meget arbejde i at undersøge markederne og forbrugertrends for at sikre at vi målretter vores reklamer og promotions på den mest effektive måde,” siger Helene Towers.

Firmaet ønsker som princip ikke at kommentere sin markedsføring – heller ikke hvem man samarbejder med (såvidt Bureaubiz erfarer gælder det bl.a. Mindshare) – men:

“Generelt er de 8-14-årige meget online, de er meget på sociale medier, og de ser meget tv. Men det skifter meget, hvad de anvender,” siger Helene Towers.

“Og så skal man ikke undervurdere ‘word of mouth’ – det er en meget stærk drivkraft.”

Hun vil heller ikke uddybe, hvad der er den væsentligste indtægtskilde. Indtægterne kommer fra brugernes tilkøb af særfunktioner og virtuelle varer; fra annoncer; og fra cross promotions. “Cross promotions er en stor ny ting. Det kommer vi til at se mere af,” siger kommunikationschef Helene Towers.

100 Million Movie Stars on MovieStarPlanet

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 12:06:30 GMT

The online global sensation for tweens reaches major milestone for user created avatars.

MovieStarPlanet, one of the world’s fastest growing social networking sites for tweens, announced today that 100 million movie star avatars have been created. In a universe where social networking is designed to be creative, MovieStarPlanet has seen explosive growth since its launch in 2009. To celebrate this amazing achievement, MovieStarPlanet is giving users in each of the 15 countries of operation, the opportunity to win a free year’s VIP membership for them and a chosen friend. This promotion will reach over 50 million tweens who visit MovieStarPlanet every month on the web or via the MovieStarPlanet app.

“MovieStarPlanet has been so successful because we listen to our user’s wants and needs. Creativity and being able to express hidden talents is a huge part of MovieStarPlanet’s ethos. We provide a platform where users can be truly unique,” said Claus Lykke Jensen, CEO of MovieStarPlanet. “We recognize that tweens have a desire to be expressive and individualistic and the combination of social networking and creative content features means we provide a site that is a great place to learn and have fun.”

“This is an amazing achievement and important landmark for MovieStarPlanet” added Claus Lykke Jensen. “Attracting 100 million users in only four years is testament to both company employees and our users for the fantastic content and game-play features created every day.”

“The gaming industry is inherently fast paced and when you produce a product aimed at tech savvy tweens you can never be complacent. MovieStarPlanet has lots of exciting plans for the future, both in-game and with our licensing partners who are producing great MovieStarPlanet products.”

MovieStarPlanet’s success has also moved into the physical world. The MovieStarPlanet magazine produced by our partner Egmont is hugely popular in the Nordic Region, offering movie stars exclusive in-game items and tips and tricks on how to be creative and rise to stardom in-game. The magazine was recently launched in the United Kingdom, marking its expansion into the English speaking market.

The beginning of 2013 also saw MovieStarPlanet’s first clothing range, produced by Fipotex and sold in Name It stores in Denmark. Innovative cross marketing between MovieStarPlanet and Fipotex meant that an in-store purchase could be redeemed online giving the movie star avatar a virtual copy of the clothing item. This awesome new cross marketing feature is the first of its kind for an online game.

MovieStarPlanet was originally launched in Denmark and has since expanded to 15 countries and can be played in 10 different languages. The game is free to play both online and through the mobile app so players never miss out on the action in Movie Town. Attracted by a world of fame, fortune and friends, everyone can be a star on MovieStarPlanet.

Historical image unavailable

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Coster-Waldau: Det er fint at være mig for tiden

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 18:00:50 GMT

Louise Kidde Sauntved

42-årige Nikolaj Coster-Waldau voksede op i en lille by på Sydsjælland med færre end tusind indbyggere – nu har han hele verden som sin arbejdsplads og har indspillet film med selveste Tom Cruise.

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau er her, der og allevegne for tiden. HBO Nordic har netop haft premiere på tredje sæson af hit-serien »Game of Thrones«, der har givet den danske skuespiller sit helt store populære gennembrud som den moralsk anløbne Jaime Lannister, fra på torsdag kan han opleves i biograferne i science-fiction thrilleren »Oblivion«, hvor han spiller over for Tom Cruise og Morgan Freeman, og til juni er han aktuel i gyseren »Mama« over for Jessica Chastain.

»Ja, det er fint at være mig for tiden,« siger Nikolaj Coster-Waldau med et stort skævt gavtyvegrin, da han møder Berlingske på et af sine for tiden ret korte ophold i Danmark. Han er her for at promovere sin rolle som den hårdtpumpede våbenekspert Sykes i »Oblivion«, der er en vaskeægte Hollywood actionthriller – en genre Nikolaj Coster-Waldau tidligere har nævnt, at han godt kunne tænke sig at prøve kræfter med.

»Det var en stor oplevelse og enormt skægt at få lov til at lave de der store actionsekvenser. Vi filmede i Louisiana – Baton Rouge og New Orleans, og jeg har aldrig været i Sydstaterne før, så det var fedt. Men der er altså også rigtigt meget ventetid i sådan noget action, så jeg tror, jeg har fået taget min jomfruelighed lidt omkring det,« siger han, igen med et stort grin. Det er langt fra altid glamourøst at være filmstjerne.

Læs også: Game of Thrones-sæsonpremiere knuser piratrekord

Det var også en stor oplevelse at møde Tom Cruise, der trods hån for sin tilknytning til Scientology og lidt for forelsket sofahopning hos Oprah, har holdt sig på den absolutte top i tre årtier.

»Det kan jeg godt forstå, for han arbejder stenhårdt og er så dedikeret, at man tror, det er løgn. Der er ikke en detalje, der ikke er vigtig, og han laver alle sine egne stunts. Det er sjovt, for han er sådan en, alle har en mening om, men det eneste, jeg kan sige, er, at han var et utroligt professionelt og venligt menneske.«

Også selv om deres første møde blev en anelse akavet.

»Jeg ved ikke, hvad der skete – jeg fik en lille hjerneblødning et sekund, tror jeg.«

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau var fløjet ind til kostumeprøve og havde netop hilst på instruktøren Joseph Kosinski og medspilleren Olga Kurylenko, da nogen siger »og her er Tom«.

»Og så vender jeg mig om, og så står Tom Cruise der. Jeg når lige at tænke ’han er da ikke så kort…’, før han giver mig hånden, der er våd, og siger ’fedt at se dig, undskyld, jeg har lige været på toilettet.’ Måske var det kombinationen af, at det var ham og alle de historier, jeg havde hørt om, at man ikke må kigge ham i øjnene og sådan nogle åndssvage ting, der selvfølgelig ikke passer, men min hjerne gik i stå, og jeg kunne kun gentage det, han lige havde sagt, så jeg sagde ’jeg har lige været på toilettet … undskyld … Nikolaj … Hej!« Det sjove er, at han reagerede, som om det skete for ham hver dag, selv om han kiggede lidt forvirret på mig. Jeg følte mig som en idiot, og det tog mig et par dage at komme over det. Men nu er det jo en god historie!«

Læs også: Coster-Waldau brænder igennem i USA

Sagt af en mand, der ved, at omdrejningspunktet i filmbranchen er den gode historie – på og uden for lærredet.

Den gode historie har været pejlemærket, siden Nikolaj Coster-Waldau filmdebuterede i »Nattevagten« i 1994, året efter han blev færdig på Statens Teaterskole. Han vidste fra starten, at drømmen var det store udland, fordi han gerne ville være filmskuespiller. Det er begrænset, hvor mange film, man kan lave om året i Danmark, og han drømte om de store, dyre produktioner, hvor det kun er fantasien og ikke budgetterne, der sætter begrænsningerne. Efter flere roller i Europa tog han springet over til amerikansk film i selvest Ridley Scotts »Black Hawk Down« og har senere haft roller i blandt andre »Enigma« over for Kate Winslet og »Firewall« over for Harrison Ford. I 2008 fik han hovedrollen som Detective John Amsterdam i TV-serien »New Amsterdam« for kanalen FOX, der trods en glimrende kritiker-modtagelse blev pillet af programmet efter en halv sæson. En efterfølgende hovedrolle i FOX-serien »Virtuality« blev ikke til noget, da serien aldrig gik i produktion. Hvilket, som han beskriver det, var ærgerligt dengang, men set i bakspejlet en god ting. Lidt af en underdrivelse. Det var nemlig takket være »New Amsterdam«, at han kom i søgelyset hos folkene bag »Game of Thrones« – og kun fordi »Virtuality« floppede, at han fik mulighed for at sige ja til rollen som Jamie Lannister. Sådan har det meste af hans karriere været – en ting har ført til en anden, og held og tilfældighed er gået hånd i hånd med en sympatisk personlighed, talent og en karisma, der skriger »filmstjerne«, når han træder ind i rummet.

Hemmeligheden er for Nikolaj Coster-Waldau at tage det, som det kommer.

»Hvis »Virtuality« var blevet en serie, så ved jeg, at jeg ville have haft en fest. I det hele taget kan jeg ikke forestille mig at gå på arbejde og ikke synes, det er superfedt. Jeg elsker mit arbejde. Der er skuespillere, for hvem hver eneste rolle er en pine og en fødsel uden lige, og det har jeg stor respekt for, men sådan har jeg heldigvis aldrig haft det. Det er ikke sådan, at jeg bare går rundt og er lalleglad, selvfølgelig er jeg nervøs og tvivler og overvejer, om det nu er det rigtige, men jeg har aldrig haft sådan et eksistentielt sammenbrud over en rolle – det er arbejdet alt for lystbetonet til.«

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau er for længst blevet god til bare at nyde arbejdet og lade andre om, hvorvidt det færdige resultat nu også er et mesterværk.

»Jeg har været med i ting, der er gået rigtigt godt, og andre ting, som ikke er gået så godt. Men der har været meget få, der ikke var en god oplevelse, og som jeg ikke har gode minder om. Som skuespiller kan du kun påvirke tingene til et vist punkt, så bliver du nødt til at slippe det igen. Det er instruktørens medium, og du kan ikke kontrollere, hvordan det bliver til allersidst. Jeg kan ikke lade mit humør eller min selvforståelse afhænge af, om en film elleren TV-serie går godt eller dårligt. »New Amsterdam« var for eksempel en fantastisk oplevelse for mig, fordi jeg lærte så sindssygt meget.«

Læs også: Coster-Waldau er Emmy-nominereret

I år er det præcis 20 år siden, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau blev færdig på Statens Teaterskole, og når han kigger tilbage, er han stolt over det, han har opnået. Alene det, at han har haft arbejde, siden han blev uddannet, er en præstation i en skrøbelig branche.

»20 år … det føles ikke, som om jeg har været i gang så længe. Det er jo lang tid,« funderer han og ser et øjeblik helt forbløffet ud ved tanken.

»Men jeg kan godt se, at hårene begynder at blive grå, så man er da ved at nærme sig. Men jeg er et rigtigt godt sted. Jeg er så heldig, at jeg er en mand, for der er mange fede roller til mænd i 40erne.«

Når han tænker tilbage på sig selv i 20erne, kan han godt undre sig over, at han ikke sagde ja til nogle af de førsteelskerroller, han blev tilbudt. Men er samtidig stolt over, at han altid har holdt fast i sig selv og har fulgt sine drømme.

»Dengang var det mig meget magtpåliggende, at det, jeg lavede, havde så meget kant som muligt. Men når man ser så ung og naiv og uskyldig ud, som jeg gjorde dengang, var det klart, at jeg ikke fik de roller, selv om jeg syntes, at jeg var voksen.« I dag er han glad for, at han ikke lod sig trække ind i mainstream-verdenen som »det kønne ansigt«.

»Jeg har lært utroligt meget ved at søge de mere mærkelige ting.«

Læs også: Ros til Coster-Waldau før HBO-premiere

Personligt kan Nikolaj Coster-Waldau også kun smile over de seneste mange år af sit liv. Han har været gift med skuespiller Nukaka Coster-Waldau siden 1998 og sammen har de døtrene Philippa og Safina på 12 og 9 år.

»Jeg har en skøn familie,« siger han med et ægte og varmt smil.

Det kan dog godt trække tænder ud at være så meget væk fra familien og basen i Danmark, som han er nødt til på grund af sine mange engagementer i udlandet. Ikke mindst nu, hvor større roller og større projekter også betyder flere rejsedage med promotionarbejde.

»Det sidste år har været hårdt – og det her år bliver endnu værre. Det er en udfordring og skide svært. Heldigvis har jeg en meget forstående kone, og jeg prøver at få hende og børnene med så meget, jeg kan.«

Han er klar over, at det er en prioritering, og at han lige nu gør klogt i at sige ja til de gode tilbud, der begynder at komme i en lind strøm. Blandt andet havde han håbet at kunne holde fri en periode over foråret og sommeren, men så kom tilbudet om at spille med i Nick Cassavetes’ kommende komedie »The Other Woman« over for Cameron Diaz. Et tilbud han ikke kunne sige nej til.

»Men det er klart, at det så kommer til at slide på nogle andre punkter. Sådan er det.«

At far til tider er fraværende, har da også langt fra afskrækket døtrene fra branchen. De har begge to for længst erklæret, at de også vil være skuespillere.

»Nu får vi at se,« siger Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, der har indskærpet dem, at det i så fald skal være, fordi de gerne vil være skuespillere og ikke bare, fordi de gerne vil på TV.

»Det er en helt anden kultur, de vokser op i, end vi gjorde. Med MGP og Facebook og det at blive set. Min yngste på ni sidder og spiller sådan noget Moviestar Planet og sidder samtidig og chatter med alle sine venner. Det kører bare.«

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Egmont Finland – MovieStarPlanet Magazine

Sat, 16 Mar 2013 11:38:59 GMT

MovieStarPlanet saa oman lehtensä!

Lapset ovat sosiaalisia olentoja jotka rakastavat kavereidensa kanssa pelaamista ja yhteydenpitoa. Siitä MovieStarPlanetissa on kyse. MovieStarPlanet on sosiaalinen online-universumi elokuvatähti-teemalla. MovieStarPlanet-lehti sisältää vinkkejä pelaamiseen sekä hauskoja juttuja MovieStarPlanet-maailmasta. Mukana myös kiva MovieStarPlanet-aiheinen liitelahja!

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Egmont Denmark – MovieStarPlanet Magazine

Sun, 10 Mar 2013 11:42:21 GMT

Udgivelsen af MovieStar Planet er udskudt 1 uge. Dvs. udgivelsesdatoen nu er 7.marts 2013.

Men du kan roligt glæde dig, i det nye nummer er der igen 1000 star coins og et eksklusivt kæledyr med i bladet til brug på moviestarplanet.dk

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Egmont Poland – MovieStarPlanet Magazine

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 11:36:44 GMT

Miesięcznik MoviestarPlanet jest przewodnikiem po moviestarplanet.pl. To wirtualny świat zabaw, istniejący od 2009 roku i zrzeszający ponad 39 milionów dzieciaków z 11 krajów!

Dla początkujących użytkowników i tych, którzy MovieStarPlanet nie znają, magazyn będzie przedstawieniem tego niezwykle ciekawego wirtualnego świata, a dla wprawionych graczy – wskazówką, jak zdobywać jeszcze więcej StarCoins. Wszyscy będą mogli poznać ciekawostki zza kulis powstania MSP, przeczytać zabawne komiksy, wskoczyć na lekcję do akademii filmowej oraz poćwiczyć projektowanie gwiazdorskich strojów.

W prezencie kod, do wykorzystania na stronie internetowej MovieStarPlanet.

Dzięki niemu każdy użytkownik otrzyma w prezencie 1000 StarCoins oraz karuzelę ze zwierzakami wykreowaną specjalnie dla Czytelników naszego magazynu!

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Exploring licensing’s new gaming frontier

Sun, 10 Feb 2013 11:20:46 GMT

Eva MacIntosh

The explosion in popularity of mobile and digital games and their characters has made brand licensing a rapidly changing industry, full of risks, but also lucrative opportunities, writes Eva MacIntosh.

Digital characters and games are transforming the brand-licensing industry as they take the entertainment world by storm. Mobile and online games such as Angry Birds, Talking Friends, Moshi Monsters and MovieStarPlanet have acquired tens of millions of players worldwide in just a few years.Their rapid rise is creating challenges for the brand-licensing industry, as such properties exploit their new-found success by expanding into toys, clothing, TV shows, magazines and computer games.Brand licensing has historically been dominated by older names, such as the animated stars of Disney films and characters such as Hello Kitty, launched in 1974.Today’s hot properties are far less predictable. Moshi Monsters, a children’s gaming site, which launched in 2008 and has more than 50 million members, has created a publishing hit with a children’s magazine. The monthly publication made its debut last year and is now the top-seller in the UK, shifting about 117,000 copies per issue.

In addition, the brand is estimated to have sold more than £60m-worth of merchandise in 2011, and is launching an online TV station.

Meanwhile, Angry Birds opened its first shop in Helsinki last November, while other digital success stories are preparing for a merchandising onslaught this year.

Ciaran Coyle, managing director at licensing agency Beanstalk, outlines how the industry is changing. “In the old model of films and TV shows, a film came out, a character took off, they did a sequel, then moved into other media,” he says.

“It would happen over a period of years and some properties would eventually become brands in their own right, such as Spider-Man.

“Now you have a world where those entertainment properties are becoming famous in weeks. or days in some cases.”

Coyle also points out that the way audiences relate to these brands is entirely different. Films and TV shows tend to be watched by “appointment to view” in a given location, whereas digital games are played any time, anywhere.

This makes them more deeply embedded in the audience’s lives, and gives the brands added relevance as they expand to other areas.

The speed of the transformation is often breathtaking. Angry Birds, launched in 2009, has been downloaded over 500 million times.

Talking Friends, which features characters such as Talking Tom, a cat that repeats what you say and laughs when tickled, has been downloaded to mobile phones 270m times, at a rate of about 10 million a month.

MovieStarPlanet, which allows children to create and dress movie-star characters, has hit 26 million downloads since its launch in 2009. Other popular properties include gaming app Cut the Rope and Disney’s phenomenally successful social site, Club Penguin.

These developments are heaping pressure on the brand-licensing industry and the complex web of relationships between property owners, licensees, manufacturers and retailers that it navigates.

Those involved are being forced to take a chance on merchandise for brands that may be just a few months old, and have an uncertain future.

“The biggest challenge is convincing a retailer that a 2D product will work in 3D,” says Darran Garnham, licensing chief at Moshi Monsters owner Mind Candy.

“Those retailers that took an early chance with Moshi Monsters this Christmas had a big upswing in sales. We sold three months’ worth of stock in three days, he says.

Garnham argues that the ease and speed of creating digital properties means there could be unexpected changes to come.

“I don’t think anyone has seen the next big property yet. We don’t know who our biggest competitor will be because a guy is developing an app in his bedroom that has yet to be released,” he adds.

MovieStarPlanet appointed Beanstalk as its licensing agent in October. “We are looking to licensing as an additional revenue source and are considering in-game advertising,” says Mikkel Vejlgaard, the brand’s chief marketing officer.

“To develop any good licensing programme, you have to do it cleverly. We could dish out licences tomorrow, but if the licensees don’t have the capabilities in design and distribution, it doesn’t make sense.”

There is more to licensing than boosting revenue, he argues. “The more we extend the brand into other areas, the more solid it will get; this is about building brand equity and strengthening the core product.”

Vejlgaard says the overriding aim is to turn the brand into an entertainment property that transcends any particular product or activity.

While other properties feature characters that can transfer into merchandise and licensing, Vejlgaard contends that for MovieStarPlanet, the interactivity of the game is the key brand value.

“It is about creativity, this world where you can do anything and be a bit crazy and interact with others,” he says. “You have to bring that to life with the merchandise. Fashion items must have the same style as in the game. The aim of toys will be to stimulate creative play.”

For example, a pair of branded trainers might carry a QR code that could be scanned to get the same type of shoes in the game. “You create a virtuous circle between real and digital world,” adds Vejlgaard.

The big question is how long these properties will sustain their success.

Judging the rise and fall of brands is crucial for retailers, licensees and manufacturers, who are anxious to avoid having too much of a good thing, or too little.

Need to know: Brand-licensing advice for the new digital properties

Creativity comes first

“The creative vision is always first, that’s what the kids are enjoying and you have to listen to the audience and ask the community what cool things they want to see,” says Darran Garnham of Mind Candy, which owns Moshi Monsters.

“There are dangers in allowing the prospect of merchandising opportunities to influence how characters and games are developed, as this may detract from the overall experience.

“Allowing the creatives to do their work, then using that as a jumping point for the brand licences is the way to ensure success.”

Brand-enhancing or brand-diluting?

Judging how far a brand should be extended and which branded tie-ups are acceptable is the main challenge in licensing, says Ciaran Coyle of licensing agency Beanstalk.

“It is difficult to understand when it is too much, but consumers understand it very quickly,” he explains.

“You have to be very strategic in your approach and work with partners who you know are doing it well.” Having too many licensees can make a programme unmanageable and eat away at brand equity with products in unsuitable categories.

Conversely, if one licensee has too great a share of production, problems can arise if it decides not to renew the programme.

Be prepared for the long haul

Rob Corney, managing director at agency Bulldog, says that a common complaint from licensees is how slow the process of getting the products on the market can be.

The high number of stakeholders involved, from licensee to manufacturer, distributor and retailer, can hold things up.

“The agent has to be as efficient as possible and make sure everything is going well,” adds Corney. “Communication between the different stakeholders is crucial.”

Identify your objectives

Brand-owners often claim their licensing strategy is aimed primarily at brand building rather than raising royalties, though they are often under pressure to maximise revenues.

Working out exactly how much revenue is needed and the way the brand will be built through extensions before starting the licensing journey is vital. Problems often arise when these objectives are confused.

Timing is of the essence

The road from deciding to do a licensing programme to getting the products on retailers’ shelves can be long and tortuous.

Agencies can help with the process, but the brand owner has the ultimate sign-off on the deals. As with all licensing, getting the timing right is essential, and ensuring launches coincide with other activity the brand undertakes is crucial.

There has been a plethora of problems for films launching with insufficient merchandising, for example.

“My big advice would be to get an expert in at a very early stage of development to work alongside the developers of the game or online world so there is someone with the retail experience needed,” says Garnham.

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MovieStarPlanet APS, Safer Internet Day Supporter

Tue, 05 Feb 2013 08:56:07 GMT

Listen to our Head of Safety, Vernon Jones, talking about how MovieStarPlanet is getting involved in Safer Internet Day

Listen Now

Based in Denmark, MovieStarPlanet is a young and vibrant company that specializes in the development and marketing of social interactive games for children. We are located in Copenhagen, where over seventy employees currently work with passion and dedication in relation to constantly improving and expanding the MovieStarPlanet online experience.

Our mission is to deliver a compelling online and interactive social network and entertainment universe for children aged eight to fifteen, within a safe and dynamic online environment. We do this through a combination of continuous product innovation and improvements, strong partnerships and user involvement.

Keeping children safe, within the online community, is of paramount concern to everyone employed at MovieStarPlanet. Although safety within the site is our responsibility, we work in partnership with parents, children and other stakeholders to make the online community a safe and entertaining online environment for children. We are continually monitoring and updating our online safety measures to safeguard children within the MovieStarPlanet online community.

Safer Internet Day 2013

The events for SID 2013 will be organised and produced within the MovieStarPlanet online community, with a theme being designed and released in February, to coincide with ‘friendship’ and ‘connect with respect’. We will also be holding events within the online community on safer internet issues, that children can take part in to update their knowledge and gain new insights into online safety. To further promote SID 2013, the MovieStarPlanet moderators will wear special SID 2013 ‘connect with respect T shirts’ that will be visible on their avatar when they are online. There will be a special MovieStarPlanet item made available on the 31st January to mark SID 2013. Special pop ups with messages about SID 2013 will appear within the game, when users log on. This will be used to further promote SID 2013.

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The SID 2013 Logo will be on the front page of our websites in all fifteen countries where MovieStarPlanet is operational. Videos related to anti-bullying campaigns, ‘connect with respect’ and other safer internet issues, will be promoted on the ‘MSP TV’ console within the game. As MovieStarPlanet has 70 Million registered users throughout the world, these videos will be viewed by many children during the period they are being promoted.

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Online rights and responsibilities

MovieStarPlanet defends the right for everyone to express their views openly and freely in relation to freedom of speech issues. Children have the right to express themselves on MovieStarPlanet within forums and via the production of films and art work. This is reflected in our commitment to support Article 13 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Online rights come with responsibilities to other users of MovieStarPlanet in terms of safeguarding all children who use the online community. Where that right of expression conflicts with protecting a child from bullying, exploitation or abuse, we believe the welfare of the child must be paramount. Therefore, we promote online rights for children and take our responsibility to safeguard children seriously. These two issues go hand in hand in relation to SID 2013.

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Digital has shaken up the licensing industry

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 11:18:17 GMT

Louise French, associated VP at the Beanstalk agency explains how digital licenses are introducing changes in an industry still very focused on entertaining. The Beanstalk Group, agency with offices in Europe, America and Asia, also has licensing programmes for properties targeting adults, with brands such as Jack Daniel’s, Stanley Black & Decker, and Ford Motor Company.

Which are the main trends in licensing addressed to the adult target?
Beanstalk is consistently evaluating market needs and adjusting its business according to areas of opportunity. Most recently Beanstalk has become very active in the area of licensing digital entertainment brands, which has fast become one of the most dynamic areas of licensing today, addressing both adults and children. Beanstalk was one of the first agencies to enter this space, signing app phenomenonTalking Friends, tween social network MovieStarPlanet and most recently the hugely popular interactive game Doodle Jump.

We continue to see strong demand for British fashion brands in licensing both domestically in the UK where brands such as Jenny Packham and Temperley have recently launched diffusion lines with high street retailers Debenhams and John Lewis respectively, but also internationally, particularly in the Far East where there is consistent consumer demand for brands such as Jaguar, Burberry and Aquascutum, each of which portray a lifestyle that appeals to the target market.

There is significant growth in food and drink brand licensing as this sector of the industry follows in the footsteps of North American where brands such as Coca-Cola who have long since recognised the opportunity to grow and diversify through brand licensing. Jack Daniel’s have enjoyed retail success across Europe with their licensed range of Barbeque Sauces and Confectionery items, as have many food, beverage, celebrity chef and restaurant brands. We can expect to see lots more activity in this sector in the near future as brands look at additional opportunities to interact with consumers in their everyday lives.

Any brand can be licensed? Which are the basic requisites to do so?
Beanstalk examines four key factors in evaluating a brand’s potential to license:

– An emotional connection with consumers
– A market gap or trend
– A unique point of difference vis-à-vis competitor brands
– Consumer and market permission

Each potential new client is evaluated individually against these key criteria in order to establish its licensing viability.

What factors need to be taking into account when extending a brand into other categories?
Beanstalk has a measured, strategic approach to extending brands into additional categories which enhance the brand’s existing business. It is vital that categories considered are close-to-core natural extensions which reflect the brand’s values and at the same time recognise the market opportunity. At the same time the licensing business model requires any category opportunity to be commercially viable for the licensee.

The Stanley Black & Decker programme is one of the most seamless examples of licensing in the industry today. Stanley’s iconic yellow and black branding is recognised and trusted by professional DIY enthusiasts and consumers around the world regardless of whether they are purchasing the core hand tools or a licensed product such as garden tools or industrial wipes.

Social network and game MovieStarPlanet is an incredibly creative environment where tweens can explore different looks and styles on their avatar while also interacting with their friends to create their very own movies. The breadth of potential to expand this creative environment has been recognised by leading children’s publisher Egmont Kids who launched the official All About MovieStarPlanet magazine autumn 2012 accompanied by an official guide to the world. They are joined by Fipotex for children’s apparel across Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Scandecor for the back-to-school category and Deform for stationery in Poland.

One of the brands you manage is the Talking Friends app. Do you think that we will see more properties coming from virtual worlds, apps and the internet?
Beanstalk has been at the heart of an explosion in digital entertainment properties extending into consumer products industry over the past 24 months. Digital has shaken up the licensing industry, and many of the leading entertainment properties of tomorrow, and indeed today, are born of digital properties such as Talking Friends, Angry Birds, MovieStarPlanet, Moshi Monsters and Doodle Jump. As consumers continue to become comfortable with accessible, sophisticated technology, more properties will make this leap. Children have access to electronic devices at a much younger age, and many do not see a difference between the character on their tablet and the character on their television – it is all entertainment to them.

Talking Friends expansion into consumer products has been phenomenal with 21 licensees currently in the programme spanning plush, apparel, accessories, stationery and back to school. Product such as licensees Dragon-I and Sound ‘n’ Light have developed plush toys of Talking Tom and Talking Ben which encapsulate the features of the virtual characters which allow consumers to enjoy the appeal of the apps in tangible product.

Beanstalk was announced as exclusive UK agent at Brand Licensing Europe 2012 for Doodle Jump which has been recognised by Apple as the third all-time top paid app. Beanstalk has already secured Blues Clothing to develop a range of childrenswear for the brand and is in discussions with retailers and licensees for further categories including adult apparel, stationery, health and beauty and home décor.

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MovieStarPlanet Hires Head of Safety

Thu, 08 Nov 2012 09:10:56 GMT

Lewis Tyler

MovieStarPlanet, the tween-focused virtual world in which kids can create their own movie star, has appointed child safety expert Vernon Jones as Head of Safety.

Jones has experience in child safety at local, national and international levels and holds an MA in social studies. He has worked on child protection projects in Denmark and the United Kingdom.

“We are very pleased to welcome Vernon Jones as our new Head of Safety”, said Claus Lykke Jensen, founder and CEO of MovieStarPlanet.

“Through his unique professional skills, solid experience and personal integrity, he will help to ensure that our growing network of children and young people throughout the world can enjoy MovieStarPlanet under the safest possible conditions.”

Vernon Jones is now tasked with optimising existing safety procedures and developing new measures to ensure that MovieStarPlanet ‘continues to provide a fun and safe gaming experience’ for 60 million-pluss users in 11 countries across Europe and North America.

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Beanstalk Selected as Exclusive Licensing Agency for MovieStarPlanet, ‘the Social Network for Tweens’

Wed, 17 Oct 2012 09:22:13 GMT

Beanstalk, one of the world’s leading brand licensing agencies, today announced that it has been selected by MovieStarPlanet, the phenomenally successful digital tween property and one of the fastest growing online social platforms, to develop the property into a leading digital entertainment franchise. Since its launch in Denmark in 2009, MovieStarPlanet has undergone rapid expansion, with exceptional levels of market penetration across Europe including the United Kingdom, Sweden, Poland, Germany, France, Norway, The Netherlands and Finland. In August 2011, MovieStarPlanet launched in the U.S. and significantly beat forecasts in terms of site visits and user profile creation in its first month alone.

MovieStarPlanet allows tweens to interact with their peers in a safe and creative environment, with over 18 million profiles created to date. In August alone, the site acquired over 4,000 users per hour, rating it higher in terms of take-up than other leading properties in the digital space.

The property plans to extend to additional territories and anticipates 80 million users by the end of 2012, having experienced a ten-fold growth rate in 2011 alone.

Ciarán Coyle, Beanstalk’s Managing Director, International said, ‘We are thrilled to be working with MovieStarPlanet on this important new stage in the development of the brand. MovieStarPlanet provides an exciting and secure environment where tweens can not only interact with each other through chat and games, but integrate creativity into their online experience, developing their own customised avatars, movies, styles, artbooks and living environment. We firmly believe that there are enormous opportunities in the elaborate and engaging online environment and the potential for translation into licensed product with MovieStarPlanet is immense.’

Mikkel Vejlgaard, Chief Marketing Officer of MovieStarPlanet, comments, ‘Our partnership with Beanstalk reinforces our long-term ambitions to develop MovieStarPlanet from a thriving online social platform for tweens, into a global entertainment franchise built on the brand’s attributes of social interaction and creativity in an environment of stardom and fame. We are looking forward to developing innovative and engaging products and services that further cement the MovieStarPlanet brand in the lives of our tween consumers.’

Beanstalk will be exhibiting at the Brand Licensing Europe trade show at London Olympia 18th – 20th October, stand no. D055.

About MovieStarPlanet
MovieStarPlanet is one of the world’s leading and fastest growing online games and communities for tweens. The children participate in a virtual world with their own personalised avatar and work together with their friends to create small animated cartoons while also “living” their lives on the Moviestar Planet where they can shop, adopt pets, play games and do lots of other fun stuff and not least hang out with their friends.

Headquartered in Denmark and privately owned, MovieStarPlanet was launched in 2009 and is now marketed in nine European countries as well as the United States, where it was launched in August 2011. It has over 30 million monthly website visits and over 18 million profiles have been created to date.

About Beanstalk
Beanstalk, a global brand licensing agency and consultancy, extends brands through the strategic and creative development of licensed products. The company works with blue-chip brands and other high-profile clients to leverage licensing as a strategic tool to enhance brand awareness, increase consumer touch-points, and generate revenue. Beanstalk also works with manufacturers to help identify and acquire compelling brands and properties to help them gain competitive advantage in the marketplace.

Beanstalk is the licensing agency of record for over 50 world-class brands. The agency has developed thousands of brand extensions in every major product category, resulting in nearly $2.3 billion in retail sales in 2010 alone. Headquartered in New York, Beanstalk’s global reach includes offices in London, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Miami, and Hong Kong, and affiliates throughout the world. For more information, please visit Beanstalk.

Beanstalk is a part of Omnicom Group Inc. Diversified Agency Services (NYSE: OMC). Omnicom (Omnicom Group) is a leading global marketing and corporate communications company.

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Egmont Publishes MovieStarPlanet Mag

Wed, 19 Sep 2012 09:24:45 GMT

Egmont has released a new official magazine for the tween social network MovieStarPlanet in the U.K. The partnership was brokered by Beanstalk, MovieStarPlanet’s licensing agent.

Allabout MovieStarPlanet, part of Egmont Magazines’ Allabout series, includes fashion tips, movie-making secrets, puzzles and quizzes, a code to redeem online prizes, a cut-out fashion doll and stickers.

The new magazine is now available at all major retailers in the U.K.

MovieStarPlanet, the fastest-growing social network for tweens, lets users participate in a virtual world of shopping, dressing up, playing games and communicating with friends.

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Egmont Partners with MovieStarPlanet

Thu, 19 Jul 2012 10:30:17 GMT

Egmont Kids Media has announced a worldwide partnership (excluding USA) with MovieStarPlanet for both book and magazine publishing.

MovieStarPlanet is a fun and secure place where tweens can participate in a virtual world with their own personalised movie star avatar. Users work together with their friends to create animated movies, and based on the popularity of their animations, the avatar will be able to get a taste of the movie star life and will be awarded virtual fame and money. They can have fun shopping, dressing up, playing games with friends and sharing and reviewing each other’s movies.

Emma Cairns-Smith, Licensing Director, Egmont UK, and lead negotiator on this acquisition project said: “This is a very exciting acquisition for the Egmont Kids Media group, who recognise how important digital worlds are becoming in the lives of our consumers.” Currently, the site has 45 million users across 11 countries, and MovieStarPlanet have projected the site will have over 80 million users by December 2012.

Content will be created through Egmont’s Creative Centre and will publish in the UK, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Poland. Autumn 2012 will see the launch of an All About MovieStarPlanet magazine and MovieStarPlanet: The Official Guide, an essential handbook packed with tips and insights on how to create your own avatar, a poster and lots of stickers, plus dos and don’ts to creating your own virtual world within the MovieStarPlanet website.

David Riley, Managing Director, Egmont Publishing Group said: “Our publishing will bring the virtual world of MovieStarPlanet to life, helping to deepen fans’ engagement and involvement. The handbook and magazine will be the must-have guides for MovieStarPlanet fans.”

Mikkel Vejlgaard, Chief Marketing Officer at MovieStarPlanet adds: “We are very excited about this opportunity to work with such a strong partner as Egmont who sees the same great potential as we do in bringing our game and community to life in the ‘real’ world. Our large and loyal user base will no doubt be just as excited of the chance to explore the unique MovieStarPlanet experience in new ways. The partnership kickstarts a major licensing programme for MovieStarPlanet rolling out across the globe.”

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ECC – MovieStarPlanet

Thu, 12 Jul 2012 11:02:21 GMT

Egmont UK and ECC has worked closely together to produce MovieStarPlanet publishing titles.

MovieStarPlanet is a website for children 8-15. It is a fun and secure place where children and youngsters participate in a virutual world with their own personalized character. They work together with their friends to create animated movies, while also “living” their lives on the MovieStar Planet where they can shop, play games and do lots of other fun stuff.

The MovieStarPlanet magazine and the Guidebook is available now!

Historical image unavailable

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Egmont Partners with MovieStarPlanet for Publishing Deal

Mon, 18 Jun 2012 09:33:55 GMT

Egmont Kids Media partnered worldwide (excluding U.S.) withMovieStarPlanet for both book and magazine publishing. MovieStarPlanet is a secure place where tweens can participate in a virtual world with their own personalized movie star avatar to create animated movies, shop, dress up, play games with friends, and share and review each other’s movies. Content will be created through Egmont’s Creative Centre and will publish in the UK, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Poland. An All About MovieStarPlanet magazine and the handbook MovieStarPlanet: The Official Guide will launch this fall.

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Egmont Signs MovieStarPlanet Publishing Deal

Thu, 14 Jun 2012 11:11:42 GMT

Dominic Sacco

UK children’s publisher to produce books and magazines outside of the US.

Egmont Kids Media has partnered with popular online tween world MovieStarPlanet to produce books and magazines based on the brand.

The deal will see work published in the UK, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Poland.

All About MovieStarPlanet magazine and MovieStarPlanet: The Official Guide will launch this autumn. The latter includes a poster and stickers.

Egmont Publishing Group MD David Riley said: “Our publishing will bring the virtual world of MovieStarPlanet to life, helping to deepen fans’ engagement and involvement. The handbook and magazine will be the must-have guides for MovieStarPlanet fans.”

MovieStarPlanet CMO Mikkel Vejlgaard added: “We are very excited about this opportunity to work with such a strong partner as Egmont, which sees the same great potential as we do in bringing our game and community to life in the ‘real’ world.

“Our large and loyal userbase will no doubt be just as excited by the chance to explore the unique MovieStarPlanet experience in new ways. The partnership kick-starts a major licensing programme for MovieStarPlanet rolling out across the globe.”

The site currently has 45m users across 11 countries. MovieStarPlanet predicts this will rise to 80m by this December.

Beanstalk is the exclusive global licensing agent for MovieStarPlanet and brought both parties together. Beanstalk has just added MovieStarPlanet to its client base.

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EGMONT Animated By New MovieStarPlanet Acquisition

Wed, 13 Jun 2012 09:16:43 GMT

Egmont Kids Media, the UK’s leading specialist children’s publisher for babies to teens, has announced a worldwide partnership (excluding USA) with MovieStarPlanet for both book and magazine publishing.

Emma Cairns-Smith, Licensing Director, Egmont UK, and lead negotiator on this acquisition project said: “This is a very exciting acquisition for the Egmont Kids Media group, who recognise how important digital worlds are becoming in the lives of our consumers.”

Currently, the site has 45 million users across 11 countries, and MovieStarPlanet have projected the site will have over 80 million users by December 2012.

Content will be created through Egmont’s Creative Centre and will publish in the UK, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Poland. Autumn 2012 will see the launch of an All About MovieStarPlanet magazine and MovieStarPlanet: The Official Guide, an essential handbook packed with tips and insights on how to create your own avatar, a poster and lots of stickers, plus dos and don’ts to creating your own virtual world within the MovieStarPlanet website.

Mikkel Vejlgaard, Chief Marketing Officer at MovieStarPlanet adds:

“We are very excited about this opportunity to work with such a strong partner as Egmont who sees the same great potential as we do in bringing our game and community to life in the ‘real’ world. Our large and loyal user base will no doubt be just as excited of the chance to explore the unique MovieStarPlanet experience in new ways. The partnership kickstarts a major licensing programme for MovieStarPlanet rolling out across the globe.”

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MovieStarPlanet Ready for Consumer Products Stage

Tue, 12 Jun 2012 11:15:36 GMT

MovieStarPlanet, one of the fastest growing online game and social networking sites for tweens, is looking for licensees at Licensing Expo.

Already used by 45 million children ages 8 to 13 across 11 countries and with significant territory expansion on the horizon, MovieStarPlanet, which is represented by licensing agency Beanstalk in the U.S.; is a movie-themed online game and social network…

Beanstalk Sprouts with New Business

Tue, 12 Jun 2012 09:30:25 GMT

LAS VEGAS, June 12, 2012 (Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Booth 5163) – Beanstalk, a leading global brand licensing agency and consultancy, today celebrated another successful year of growth and innovation, with notable additions to its client roster, including American Honda Motor Co., Bigelow, Matthew Williamson and MovieStarPlanet, as well as the launch of several creative brand extensions for its existing world-class clients. The agency has also focused on the continued integration of sister Omnicom agency Nancy Bailey & Associates, resulting from the merger in late 2010, enabling both agencies to expand its knowledge base, depth of relationships and reach worldwide.

Committed to the expansion of its service offering, the agency appointed industry veteran Nell Roney as Senior Vice President, Brand Acquisitions early this year. The Brand Acquisitions department provides clients with an in-depth, strategic analysis of relevant licensing opportunities consistent with their goals and objectives, partnering best-in-class manufacturers and retailers with the most sought after brands, celebrities and entertainment properties.

Beanstalk also continues to grow its Auditing practice, offering property owners a personalized non-adversarial approach to royalty compliance. Leveraging its global presence and experience supporting some of the world’s most admired licensing programs, the agency assists brand owners in establishing and implementing an auditing program that improves not only royalty cash flow, but enhances the overall relationship between brand owner and licensee.

“This has been a very successful year for Beanstalk, filled with extraordinary opportunities for both our clients’ brands and the agency. Our goal has always been to grow with, and for, our clients, through innovation and collaboration,” said Michael Stone, President and CEO. “We continue to place great importance on creativity and unparalleled client service, fine-tuning our existing service offering, while expanding into new areas that allow us to strengthen our licensing expertise. The landscape of the industry is transforming and Beanstalk will continue to be at the forefront. We’re very excited about the next 18 months and what is in store for our agency and clients’ businesses.”

New Brands Joining Beanstalk:

A strong licensing program is under development with a number of soon to be announced key partners for digital propertyMovieStarPlanet, one of the fastest growing online games and social networks for tweens in the world. With 40 million users across eleven countries and plans for significant territorial expansion, the virtual world allows participants to create their own personalized MovieStar and explore movies, fashion, fame, friendship and community. Categories such as publishing, creative play and apparel will be integral to the licensing program as partners interpret MovieStarPlanet’s unique design DNA and brand equities. Licensed products will also be heavily supported within MovieStarPlanet, appearing virtually for users as well as being promoted online.

About Beanstalk:

Beanstalk, a global brand licensing agency and consultancy, extends brands through the strategic and creative development of licensed products. The company works with corporate brands, celebrities, entertainment properties, and other high-profile clients to leverage licensing as a strategic tool to enhance brand awareness, increase consumer touch-points, and generate revenue. Beanstalk also offers a breadth of additional licensing services including direct-to-retail program management, license acquisition for manufacturers and TransAct™ licensing program administration and auditing. The company is headquartered in New York, with offices in London, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Miami, and Hong Kong, and affiliates throughout the world. For more information, please visit Beanstalk. Beanstalk is a part of Omnicom Group Inc. Diversified Agency Services (NYSE: OMC).

About Diversified Agency Services/Omnicom Group

Diversified Agency Services (DAS), a division of Omnicom Group Inc., manages Omnicom’s holdings in a variety of specialty marketing and communications disciplines. DAS includes over 200 companies, which operate through a combination of networks and regional organizations, serving domestic and global clients through more than 700 offices in 71 countries. Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE-OMC) is a leading global marketing and corporate communications company. Omnicom’s branded networks and numerous specialty firms provide advertising, strategic media planning and buying, digital and interactive marketing, direct and promotional marketing, public relations and other specialty communications services to over 5,000 clients in more than 100 countries.

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Succes Med Globalt Salg

Thu, 10 May 2012 11:46:31 GMT

Dino Patti, CEO i Playdead og Claus Lykke Jensen, CEO i MovieStarPlanet er i øjeblikket to af dansk spilbranches mest succesfulde iværksættere. Men de har valgt to helt forskellige go-to-market-strategier. Growing Games workshop nr. 6 satte fokus på salg til det internationale marked.

“Vi lavede alt selv. Og vi gjorde det ud fra devicen om, at hvis vi lavede noget som vi selv ville elske, ville vores målgruppe også elske det”

– sådan beskev Dino Patti fra Playdead virksomhedens overvejelser om markedsføringsstrategien for spillet LIMBO. Patti var oplægsholder da Computerspilzonen holdt Growing Games d. 2 maj 2012 hos PWC i Hellerup.

Én video på YouTube. To millioner visninger.

Den primære markedsføring bestod af en kortgameplay-video der blev lagt på YouTube, tilbage i 2006. I løbet af to uger havde to mio. brugere klikket sig forbi. Hermed havde LIMBO skabt en enorm international fan-base, længe før spillet overhovedet kom på markedet.

Da spillet udkom i 2010 blev der solgt over en halv milllion eksemplarer – i 2011 rundede LIMBO én million solgte eksplarer. Senere har Playdead dog indgået samarbejde med en amerikanske PR-virksomhed, for at få adgang til relevante journalister og spilmagasiner.

MovieStarPlanet: hurtigt er bedre end færdigt!

Det tætteste man kommer på en dansk Zynga-succes erMovieStarPlanet, der har udviklet et internationalt socialt spil til de yngre målgrupper. MovieStarPlanet har nu over 20 millioner brugere, primært i Europa.

Claus Lykke Jensen, der er CEO i MovieStarPlanet gjorde det klart, at det vigtigste for ham var at få spillet på markedet – hurtigt. Hvor LIMBO er et færdigt og finpudset rodukt, der var flere år undervejs, er MovieStarPlanet et univers i konstant udvikling:

“Det er vigtigere for vores målgruppe at der konstant er nye features i form af konkurrencer, butikker, indretningsmuligheder med videre, end at det hele ser fantastisk ud”.

TV-reklamer er vejen frem

I modsætning til Dino Patti og Playdead har Claus Lykke Jensen med MovieStarPlanet valgt en hurtig get-to-market strategi, hvor det er tilladt et skære nogle hjørner. Jensen har således fokuseret på at få spillet på markedet, tjene penge og forbedre produktet løbende.

Derfor valgte Claus Lykke Jensen også at samarbejde med en TV station om markedsføring af MovieStarPlanet, hvilket har vist sig at være en succes. Jensens har fået profesionel hjælp til alle aspekter af markedsføring, med tanke på, “at det var de nok bedst til”.

Forskellige veje til succes

De to fortællinger, om to forskellige markedsstrategier blev omdrejningspunktet for workshop nr. 6 i Growing Games forløbet. Formålet var at introduceret danske spiludviklere til vejen til succes på det internationale marked.

Ud over Dino Patti fra Playdead og Claus Lykke fra MovieStarPlanet holdt Josh Mortensen & Maik Brodowski grundlæggerne af GlibHippo oplæg om deres erfaringer med international markedsføring og særligt måling af online-reklamer.

Ny rekord for Growing Games

Næsten 50 personer fra over 20 forskellige danske virksomheder var mødt frem for at dele egne erfaringer og få feedback fra eksperter og møde branchekolleger. Det er det højeste deltagerantal til Growing Games til dato.

Revisions- og rådgivningshuset PWC lagde lokaler til og som altid stod Nich Hawtin fra CONNECT Denmark for et mini-springboard – denne gang med gæster fra Norge, spilvirksomheden Blink Studios. I Panelet sad forudden Thomas B.K. Jacobsen der er CEO i Pixel Pandemic også dagens oplægsholdere Josh Mortensen, Maik Brodowski, Claus Lykke Jensen og Dino Patti.

Præsentation af Eksportrådet og Producentforeningen

Peter Mørk præsenterede Eksportrådet og fortalte blandt andet om danske spilfirmaers mulighed for at fåtilskud til fælles eksportfremstød. Formålet med fælles eksportfremstød er at skabe konkrete kontakter til forretnings- og samarbejdspartnere på eksportmarkederne og give de deltagende virksomheder større viden om markeds- og forretningsvilkår.

Klaus Hansen der er direktør i Producentforeningenpræsenterede foreningens arbejde og gjorde blandt andet opmærksom på dialogen med politikerne om, at skabe bedre rammevilkår for branchen.

Pitch-pitch-pitch!

Som altid blev dagen afsluttet med pitch, hvor en række deltagende virksomheder præsentere deres projekt for et panel erfarne erhvervsfolk fra CONNECT Danmarks netværk.

Check it out!

Debat, Dpil og Stereotyper

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 11:59:26 GMT

Women. Women?. Women! To mænd beskrev deres erfaringer med at lave spil til piger og kvinder – mens én kvinde fortalte hvorfor vi netop ikke skal lave kønsspecifikke spil. Der var lagt op til relevant debat, da SpilBar 9.0 løb af stabelen d. 29. marts i Filmhuset i København.

Det antages at kvinder og piger tegner sig for halvdelen af alle spil, der spilles. Men hvorfor er der så få kvindelige spiludviklere, hvordan kvinder portrætteret i spil i dag? Og spiller forskellige spil kvinder og piger end drenge og mænd? Skal vi designe spil til kvinder og piger direkte? Og hvis ja, hvordan kan du gøre det uden at ty til stereotyper?

SpilBar havde inviteret tre spiludviklere at tale om kvinder og piger. Claus Lykke Jensen fraMovieStarPlanet, der er univers for børn – drenge og piger – som overvejende bliver spillet og elsket piger.

Jimmy Marcus Larsen fra Cego har de sidste 11 år udviklet casual spil med succes – over 60 forskellige spil på 7 forskellige sprog er det blevet til. Den primære kundegruppe er kvinder.

Dajana Dimowska fra KnapNok Games fortalte sin egen meget personlige historie om hendes vej ind i spilbranchen. Dimowska repræsenterede både en både kønslig og forretningskulturel modvægt til Jensen og Larsen, idet netop ikke tror på piger som særskilt målgruppe.

Læs mere om talerne på DADIU.dk

MovieStarPlanet – spilunivers i vækst

MovieStarPlanet er en virtuel verden for børn i alderen 9-13 år med et filmstjerne tema. Hver bruger designer deres egen filmstjerne figur, som kan bruges til at lave små tegnefilm, chatte og spille spil med andre brugere. MovieStarPlanet blev introduceret i Danmark i 2009 og har siden oplevet en eksplosiv vækst. I øjeblikket opererer virksomheden på otte markeder i Europa og er fortsat i vækst.

Primære kundegruppe er piger

Claus Lykke Jensen, direktør i MovieStarPlanet, fortalte blandt andet, at det oprindeligt var tænkt som et kønsneutralt engelsk-undervisningsspil. Men i forbindelse med virksomhedens analyser af brugerene, blev det klart at den primære kundegruppe var piger.

“Det er ikke fordi vil ville lave et spil for piger. Det er bare dem vi kan se som spiller spillet. Der er en forskel på drenge og piger i forhold til vores spil”

Netop brugeranalyser er vigtig del af forretningen bag MovieStarPlanet. Det vigtigste for virksomheden er ganske enkelt at forstå brugerne og deres behov: “Sørg for at få feedback igen og igen og igen – du kan aldrig tale nok dine kunder”

Målret indhold efter markedet

At det så betyder at universet visuelt bliver mere målrettet piger, er en forretningsmæssig konsekvens som Claus Lykke Jensen er klar til at tage:

“Piger og drenge opdrages til at være mere pink eller blå, alt efter barnets køn. Det er ærgeligt, men sådan er det. Så hvis man skal overleve som forretning, er vi nødt til at rette os efter det.”

CEGO: 71% af brugerne er kvinder

Cego står blandt andet bag komogvind.dk, Danmarks største casual gaming site, der tilbyder mere end 40 spil, konkurrencer, multiplayer spil og kontantgevinster.

Jimmy Markus Larsen, der er spildesigner hos Cego, fortalte at 71% af Cegos kunder er kvinder, og at de i gennemsnit bruger lidt over 70 DDK om måneden på spilportalen. Og netop fordi kernekunderne er kvinder, har Jimmy Markus Larsen opsamlet værdifuld viden om hvad det er kvinderne vil have – når de spiller computerspil.

Cego ved hvad kvinder vil have – i spil

Præsentation bestod af en række udsagn om kvinder, der bragte smil og latter frem hos tilhørerne, som for eksempel “Kvinder elsker komplimenter – så selv om de ikke klarer sig godt i spillet, så skal de alligevel roses”.

På sammen måde som MovieStarPlanet analyserer Cego kundernes behov og målretter deres spil: “Vi kigger på hvad der gør mange spillere glade. Ikke hvad der gør os selv glade”

Hvad gør kunderne glade?

“Kvinder elsker overraskelser. Brug random belønninger eller bonusser, og husk at have chain-mechanics, for det fungerer også som uventet bonus” var et andet udsagn som fik flere flere tilhørere til at trække på smilebåndet. I det hele taget lå Jimmy Markus Larsens præsentation i en slipstrøm af stereotyper – stærkt karikeret og underholdende:

“Kvinder kan lide at samle” – Cego bruger et “collector-board”, hvor de tommepladser viser hvad man mangler.

“Kvinder er utålmodige” – der må ikke være nogen loadtid. Larsen nævnte Zynga (Farmville på Facebook) som nogen der gør dette godt.

Se hele listen på Eurogamers Liveblog fra SpilBar 9.0

Det sidste punkt på listen over hvad det er kvinder vil have i spil var “kvinder kan lide mænd” – så bryd nogen af reglerne, for at få mændene ind på sitet. “Et varieret publikum er vigtigt for sitet”, var Jimmy Markus Larsens afsluttende bæmærkning.

Knapnok Games gør konsolspil til social leg

Dagens sidste taler var Dajana Dimovska fra Knapnok Games, der holdt et meget personligt oplæg med titlen: My personal history and why I don’t believe in designing games for girls.

KnapNok Games ApS er et uafhængigt dansk spilfirma, der arbejder med nye – sociale spilkoncepter for Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Kinect, Sony Playstation3 Move og smartphones.

KnapNok Games fokusere på bevægelses-kontrollerede teknologier, fordi ser et stort potentiale i at gøre sociale konsolspil mere fysiske og legende – tættere på de traditionelle spil.

Direktør og spilproducer

Dajana Dimovska, der er direktør og spilproducer i virksomheden, voksede op i Makedonien, hvor hun hang ud med sin lillebror og to andre drenge. På den måde blev hun ikke udskilt som pige i sin egen pigegruppe.

Disse ‘kønsneutrale’ barndomserfaringer brugte Dimovska som ledetråd til hendes arbejde i dag, hvor virksomheden netop ikke udvikler kønsspecifikke spil, men spil som både piger og drenge kan lege – sammen.

“Hvis du ser en reklame, fortæller den hvordan du bør lege med et spil eller et stykke legetøj, og det er ikke fedt. Det er noget du selv skal finde ud af” sagde Dimovska blandt andet.

Hun er modstander af kønspolariseringen i mange af de produkter der bliver markedsført : “Vi skal lade piger og drenge selv vælge hvad de kan lide. Vi skal ikke fortælle dem, hvilke typer spil der er til deres køn.”

Køn bør ikke være et emne i spilproduktion

Dajana Dimovska fattede interesse for interaktive medier da hun en dag så en Róyksopp-video der var baseret på animationer og interaktioner. I forbindelse med sin uddannelse til spilproducer på ITU, var hun konstant i miljøer med kun 10-20% piger, men hun bemærkede det ikke rigtigt – og heller ikke dag hvor hun er direktør i en virksomhed hvor den faste kerne af medarbejdere er mænd, er køn et emne: “Vi er bare individer der arbejder sammen”

Hun havde heller ikke kunnet finde noget i de spilproduktioner hun har produceret tidligere, der har særlige kvindelige eller mandlige elementer – måske fordi det aldrig har været et issue i teamene bag?

Afslutningsvis fremhævede Dajana Dimovska Julie Horups artikel Kampen Om Kvinderne, der ser meget kritisk på kvinder som særskilt målgruppe i spil, som ekspempel på hendes egne holdninger, og afsluttede med at konstatere:

“Vi skal ikke bruge vores køn til at definere hvem vi er.”

Læs også Eurogamers interview med Dajana Dimovska

Se Dajana Dimovska: From Student to Indie Game Producer

Debat og lange spørgsmål fra salen

SpilBar afsluttedes som altid med en debatrunde, hvor emnets kompleksitet blev tydelig. Spørgsmålene fra salen var utroligt lange og kringlede, måske som udtryk for spørgernes forsøg på undgå klassiske sterotyper. Til gengæld var oplægsholdernes svar meget klare og tydelige:

Både Claus Lykke Jensen og Jimmy Markus Larsen laver spil specifikt til piger og kvinder, fordi det er en god forretning. I modsætning hertil udvikler Dajana Dimovska innovative spil, der skal få mennesker til at lege sammen.

Læs hele Eurogamers Liveblog fra SpilBar 9.0

Check it out!

MovieStarPlanet.com reaches 30 million users

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 12:02:54 GMT

Danish social game phenomenon marks record milestone in the wake of significant growth rates.

The hit social game and community MovieStarPlanet.com reached an important milestone this weekend, following a year of launches in seven new countries and three digit growth rates. With the marking of 30 million users, MovieStarPlanet.com has gained a significant foothold in the market for children games and continues to drive momentum with many new features and initiatives coming in 2012.

“2011 was a fantastic year for us and it is great to see the growth continuing at a rapid pace”, says Claus Lykke Jensen, the CEO and founder of the company behind MovieStarPlanet.com. “It has been an adventurous journey from our humble beginnings as a small company to now being able to see the fruits of our labor. We will definitely continue to push towards worldwide growth by constantly improving our product and expanding geographically.”

Currently available in ten different countries across Europe and North America, MovieStarPlanet.com is a unique combination of game and social network for children aged 8-13. In MovieStarPlanet.com, the children create their own MovieStar and travel on the path to stardom by creating Movies, Looks and Artbooks, play games with other MovieStars and socialize through chat rooms, clubs, messages and much more, as they expand their list of friends.

“With MovieStarPlanet.com, we realized that children need their own social online space, made on their terms. We give children a completely new way to connect and socialize beyond their classroom boundaries; one in which they can both have a fun time, explore a virtual world and show off their creative skills to everyone else”, Claus Lykke Jensen continues. “We are extremely happy to see this approach pay off and be appreciated by our target audience and we will continue to provide them with new and fun ways to connect and have fun.”

MovieStarPlanet.com was originally released in Denmark in the early summer of 2009 and soon gained the interest of children. In 2010, it expanded to Norway and Sweden where it quickly gained traction and began its hyper-growth rate. The result has been expansion into several new markets throughout 2011 and a total headcount of 60 at its Copenhagen headquarters. 2012 will mark a continued push with the additions of new features, platforms and markets.

MovieStarPlanet is available at www.moviestarplanet.com

For further information, please contact:
CEO Claus Lykke Jensen
MovieStarPlanet ApS
cl@moviestarplanet.com

About MovieStarPlanet.com

MovieStarPlanet is one of the fastest growing online games and communities for tweens in the world. Attracted by a world of fame, creativity, self-expression and friendship, children are offered a unique and unrivaled social entertainment universe. It is currently available in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Germany, France, The Netherlands, Poland, the United Kingdom and the United States.

About MovieStarPlanet ApS

Based in Copenhagen, Denmark, MovieStarPlanet ApS is a young and vibrant company that specializes in the development and marketing of social, interactive games. It is the company behind the successful social children’s game MovieStarPlanet and was founded in 2008 by Claus Lykke Jensen. For further information visit https://34.241.153.50/mspcorporate

Beanstalk Highlights Importance of Asia for Licensing

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 09:27:32 GMT

Leading brand licensing agency and consultancy focuses on the importance of
Asia for the licensing industry in anticipation of the Hong Kong International Licensing Show 2012

HONG KONG CONVENTION & EXHIBITION CENTRE, BOOTH 3G-C21, 9 – 11 January 2012 — Beanstalk, a leading brand licensing agency and consultancy, today spoke of another strong year for the agency in Asia and how the region has further cemented its importance for the licensing industry as a whole.

“The Asian office has contributed significantly to the success of Beanstalk’s overall global business in 2011,” said Ciarán Coyle, Managing Director, International, for Beanstalk. “Asia is a hugely important market both from a manufacturing and consumer point of view. The speed with which partners here can develop and deliver product has had a great impact on our ability to service our global digital and fashion clients this past year. We have successfully secured major licensing partners from the region to service both the local market as well as key international markets, and as a result, we are responding to consumer demand and delivering product to market faster than ever before.”

“Digital properties are certainly driving business for Beanstalk in the entertainment sector and we signed ten key licensee partnerships in 2011 for our newly acquired client Talking Friends, four of which were major agreements developed by our Hong Kong office. In addition, demand for product from our celebrity and fashion client roster remains high here. We are in negotiations for a number of opportunities for British fashion brands, Aquascutum and Jaeger, and in 2012, Paris Hilton’s eyewear line will launch exclusively for the Asian market.” said Coyle.

“We are anticipating high demand for our digital entertainment, celebrity and fashion clients at the Hong Kong International Licensing Show,” Coyle concluded. “We are confident that Beanstalk and its clients will continue to experience significant growth in 2012, which will further cement Beanstalk as the agency of choice in Asia for world-class brands.”

Ciaran Coyle will be speaking at the Asian Licensing Conference on 10^th January at 16:30 on the subject of “Branding of Characters and Fashion – Opportunities for Lifestyle Products.”

BRAND UPDATES

MovieStarPlanet

Beanstalk announced new digital entertainment client MovieStarPlanet at the Brand Licensing Europe trade show in October 2011, where it received an exceptional response. One of the fastest growing social platforms in the world, MovieStarPlanet allows tweens to interact with their peers in a safe and creative environment, with over 20 million profiles created to date.

Since its launch in Denmark in 2009, MovieStarPlanet has undergone rapid expansion, with exceptional levels of market penetration across Europe, including the United Kingdom, Sweden, Poland, Germany, France, Norway, The Netherlands and Finland. In August 2011, MovieStarPlanet launched in the U.S. and significantly beat forecasts in terms of site visits and user profile creation in its first month.

The property plans to extend to additional territories and anticipates 80 million users by the end of 2012, having experienced a ten-fold growth rate in 2011 alone.

Check it out!

Festivals medielegeplads er truet af lukning

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 11:52:39 GMT

Anders Hjort

I denne uge har Buster Filmfestival igen spillet sig ud i byen over 11 dage med omkring 160 film til det yngre publikum.

En særegen del af Buster er den store medielegeplads under festivalen, Busters Medielab, som løber af stablen i Pressen i Politikens Hus på Rådhuspladsen.

Her kan børn og andre barnlige sjæle lave undervandsfilm, deltage i rollespil, spille film på mobilen, lege med konsonanter og klippe sine egne film med still-kameraer.

Men Busters Medielab er lukningstruet efter to succesfulde år. Faktisk drejer medielegepladsen på søndag nøglen om og kommer ikke tilbage, med mindre der sker mindre mirakler.

Støtten er forsvundet
Årsagen er ikke, at børn, skoler og forældre ikke gider besøge medielaboratoriet. Busters Medielab har haft 60 udsolgte skoleworkshops de seneste fem dage.

Problemet skyldes manglende økonomisk støtte, bl.a. fra ministerier og private fonde.

»Det er rigtigt ærgerligt, at det ser ud til, at vi bliver nødt til at lukke nu, før vi er kommet ordentligt op at køre. Alle de aktiviteter, vi har lavet hernede, har været udsolgt, og vi får god feedback fra både børn og familier. Men der er simpelthen ingen penge i branchen, som er presset«, siger Diana Bjørn Milenkovic, festivalproducer på Buster.

Sidste år trak festivalen halvanden million kroner ud til medielaboratoriet fra Nordea Fonden, men de penge kan ikke findes fremadrettet.

Derfor ser det ud til, at stikket bogstaveligt talt bliver trukket på Busters Medielab om to dage, når festivalen slutter for denne gang.

»Med mindre der kommer nogle penge fra nogle uventede steder, så må vi lukke. Filminstituttet har heller ikke penge til det, siger de. Det er trist, for vi synes jo, at det er mega sejt at lave denne slags workshop«, siger Diana Bjørn Milenkovic.

Lukker søndag
Busters Medielab er det eneste sted i Danmark, hvor danske spiludbydere kan møde danske børn.

Blandt de mange deltagere på medielaboratoriet i år er det danske onlineunivers MovieStarPlanet, der er et af de hurtigst voksende spil til børn i verden med 15 millioner brugere på verdensplan.

MovieStarPlanet er et socialt website, der udfordrer de yngste til selv at være kreative ved at skabe små, animerede film.

»Den danske spilbranche trænger til et økonomisk skub for at kunne udvikle sig på lige fod med andre lande«, siger Claus Lykke Jensen, direktør i MovieStarPlanet. Han stiller gratis op på medielegepladsen og møder børnene ansigt til ansigt.

Men spørgsmålet er altså, om Claus Lykke Jensen og de andre deltagere fra spil- og filmbranchen også i fremtiden kan deltage i medielaboratoriet.

Indtil videre kan herlighederne i Pressen i Politikens Hus opleves for sidste gang denne weekend. Der er åbent lørdag og søndag fra klokken 10-16. Indgang koster 15 kroner i døren.

Check it out!

MovieStarPlanet

The Original MovieStarPlanet: Your Questions, Answered

MovieStarPlanet presenting for the UK Parliament

MovieStarPlanet takes part in the APPG for Video Games & Esports Games and Online Safety for young players in the UK

MovieStarPlanet presenting for the UK parliament

The commitment to Online Trust and Safety

Child Safeguarding Commitment

Online Child Safeguarding is Based on Five Core Pillars:

Professionally Moderating Online Games – Advanced filtering

Two Hat Community Sift Artificial Intelligence System – Advanced filtering

User Reporting and Feedback – Self- control systems

Monitoring Chat Rooms – Live moderation

Cooperation with Law Enforcement Agencies – External cooperation

A front-running backend

How moving to a microservice architecture saved us 40% in hosting costs and laid the foundation for our game engine success

MovieStarPlanet Magazine: The 100th Anniversary Issue

Let the creativity loose

BlockStarPlanet wins BEST LIVE GAME at Spilprisen 2021

MovieStarPlanet Partners up with Panini to Launch Trading Cards in Poland

MovieStarPlanet supports book about healthy gaming habits!

MovieStarPlanet shows strong financial results and has high ambitions for 2021

MovieStarPlanet is hard at work on MovieStarPlanet 2.

MovieStarPlanet and BlockStarPlanet at SPILPRISEN 2019

MovieStarPlanet & BlockStarPlanet are nominated for Spilprisen 2019

NCA- CEOP and Gaming Sector Round Table

GDPR

Unity GameJam by MovieStarPlanet

BRIDGING FLASH TO UNITY IN SOCIAL NETWORKS

Successful Pre-Production kick-off with Google Sprint Methodology

MovieStarPlanet apps reaches BIG Milestones

New Tech Platform calls for change in Production Strategy at MovieStarPlanet

Before they are old enough for Facebook

Growing Games: Strategy! Planning! Oh my!

RoboBlastPlanet & Flash Online Conference

Easter fun at the office

Halloween at MovieStarPlanet

Bronze medal in The Lovie Awards!

BIG NEWS!

MSP participated at European Expert Conference on Media Education and Child Protection

We’re thrilled to welcome our new Chief Marketing Officer Jan Møller

Let’s create a better internet together

MovieStarPlanet goes to Barcelona – this year’s company adventure

MovieStarPlanet wins “Most Innovative Company in Denmark” Prize at EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2014

MSP participated at Europol Annual Experts Seminar 2014

Great fun at MSP’s Halloween Party 2014!

MSP among the finalists of the “Entrepreneur of the Year” competition

MovieStarPlanet was at the ITU Match Making event

MovieStarPlanet has launched its official Webshop!

MSP attended the POSCON Meeting in Prague

MSP survived the Zombierun

MSP ran in the DHL Relay Race

MSP celebrates 1 million downloads for Boonieverse

UK Safer Internet Center features Safety Resources available at MovieStarPlanet

MovieStarPlanet Weekly Themes

Real world inspiration

for the tween digital sphere

Focus Group Game Testing

MovieStarPlanet at DTU Careers Fair

Child Internet Safety Summit 2014

MSP at Nordic Game Jam 2014

MovieStarPlanet featured in Edge Magazine

Celebrating Safer Internet Day 2014

TRUSTe certification for MSP

FOSI 2014 Conference in Washington DC – MSP Head of Safety Attends

Head of Safety, Vernon Jones – Guest Speaker at Europol Training Course

MovieStarPlanet among favorite kids websites: Washington Post

Center City has Class of KidsPost

MovieStarPlanet’s Head of Safety Guest Speaker at Europol Training Course

14th Europol Training Course on Combating the Sexual Exploitation of Children on the Internet, (COSEC)

MovieStarPlanet Teams for Murals

IT Match Making @ IT University

MovieStarPlant’s is Committed to Keeping Children and Young People Safe Online

Be cool at school with the MovieStarPlanet’s back-to-school range

MovieStarPlanet partners with Scandecor for Nordic back to school range

Online property believes new partnership will propel it further in bricks and mortar stores.

MovieStarPlanet Goes Back to School

MovieStarPlanet offers fun, safe, social environment for kids to express creativity

MovieStarPlanet Head of Safety Down Under

MovieStarPlanet’s Head of Safety Goes Down Under so Safety Comes out on Top

Head of Safety Attends Global Digital Citizenship Conference in AUS and Meets With Key NGOs

14^th Europol Training Course on Combating the Sexual Exploitation of Children on the Internet, (COSEC)

Leading brand licensing agency and consultancy focuses on the importance of
Asia for the licensing industry in anticipation of the Hong Kong International Licensing Show 2012