JAKKS ADDING MORE TITLES TO TV GAMES.Byline: Brent Hopkins Staff Writer MALIBU - Television used to be toy companies' rival for kids' attention, but for Jakks Pacific JAKKS Pacific, Inc. NASDAQ: JAKK is is a multi-brand company that designs and markets a broad range of toys and consumer products and is based in Malibu, California. Its product categories include action figures, art activity kits, stationery, writing instruments, performance Inc. it has become its biggest ally in attracting customers. The toy maker, largely known for traditional toys such as wrestling figures and craft sets, announced the addition of Capcom Co. Ltd.'s classic titles to its TV Games line this week. In the last two years, the Years, The the seven decades of Eleanor Pargiter’s life. [Br. Lit.: Benét, 1109] See : Time games have become an increasingly important part of Jakks' business, accounting for an estimated 5 percent to 10 percent of its annual sales. The devices, which mimic classic video game consoles This is a list of video game consoles by the era they appeared in. Eras are named based on the dominant console type of the era (even though not all consoles of those eras are of the same type). Some eras are referred to based on how many bits a major console could process. and arcade games You can also check the Killer List of Videogames. This is a list of arcade games organized alphabetically by name. It does not include computer or console games unless they were also released in video arcades. See Lists of video games for related lists. and sell for around $20, plug directly into television sets to bring Pac-Man and Pong (games) Pong - A computer game invented in 1972 by Atari's Nolan Bushnell. The game is a minimalist rendering of table tennis. Each of the two players are represented as a white slab, controllable by a knob, which deflects a bouncing ball. to a new generation. ``I'm in my mid-30s, and I'd be interested in some of these products, but my 10-year-old son would be, too,'' said Jeffrey Thomison, who follows Jakks' stock as vice president of research for Louisville, Ky.-based investment bank Hilliard Lyons. On Wednesday, Jakks announced it will add Capcom Co. Ltd.'s Mega-Man, 1942 and Ghosts 'N Goblins titles to the line, the seventh change to TV Games in the past two weeks. In that span, Jakks has signed licenses to add Spider-Man, Ms. Pac-Man Ms. Pac-Man was an extremely popular arcade game released by Midway in 1982 and was created by Doug Macrae and Kevin Curran. This unauthorized sequel to Pac-Man differed from its predecessor in the fact that this Pac-Man is female. and Mortal Kombat Mortal Kombat (commonly abbreviated as MK) is a popular series of fighting games created originally by the Midway Manufacturing Company. Mortal Kombat , among others, as well as announcing plans to expand a line to international distribution. By year's end, it will swell from the four titles currently on shelves up to 12. ``You ain't seen nothing yet,'' quipped Stephen Berman, president of Jakks. ``We're clearly the leaders and dominant players in this genre. We've created it and nurtured it, and retailers have been very supportive.'' After strong sales over the holidays and sellouts at several retailers, the games' heat comes at an opportune time for Jakks. The company reported Tuesday that its 2003 sales of $315.8 million were up only slightly from the previous year's $310 million, while net income slipped to $25.9 million from $31.3 million in 2002. Jakks got the rights to the toys in its acquisition of Toymax Inc. in 2001, giving it access to its first title, Activision TV games. After strong sales, it recently announced a reintroduction of the product in a new joystick housing, selling for $20 at retailers this spring. ``They've got the key licenses all locked up,'' said Arvind Bhatia, senior vice president at Southwest Securities Inc. ``When you're the dominant player, that's important because it'll be tough for anyone else to get in.'' He estimates the line could add around $30 million in revenue to Jakks sales this year - between 10 percent and 20 percent of its total sales. Additionally, the games sell in broader distribution than most of the company's wares, retailing at Urban Outfitters and Saks Fifth Avenue Saks Fifth Avenue is a chain of upscale American department stores that is owned and operated by Saks Fifth Avenue Enterprises (SFAE), a subsidiary of Saks Incorporated. It competes in the elite luxury department store market with Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman and Barneys New , as well as mainstays like Target, Wal-Mart and Toys `R' Us. ``It's very simplistic sim·plism n. The tendency to oversimplify an issue or a problem by ignoring complexities or complications. [French simplisme, from simple, simple, from Old French; see simple , but it packs a lot of fun,'' Berman said. ``This is clearly here to stay.'' Brent Hopkins, (818) 713-3738 brent.hopkins(at)dailynews.com |
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