Take the wheel of an authentic Matchbox vehicle and embark on exciting quests in a game for a new generation of fans.

Mattel in collaboration with Outright Games, the leading publisher of family-friendly interactive entertainment, has revealed the first all-console and PC video game inspired by the die-cast collectible toy brand Matchbox.

Matchbox Driving Adventures will allow players to unlock, customize, and race digital versions of their favorite authentic Matchbox vehicles. Compete alone, or with up to four friends in local multiplayer and embark on epic missions across six diverse environments, speeding through various tracks all with multiple variants offering plenty of ways to put the pedal to the metal.

Designed for all styles of play, Matchbox Driving Adventures offers two distinct game modes. In Adventure Mode, players explore Matchbox Adventure Island at their leisure, solving intriguing problems for its inhabitants amidst rich, evolving landscapes. Alternatively, Competition Mode ramps up the excitement by featuring a series of uniquely varied tracks where players can compete for an exhilarating and enchanting racing experience.

Perfect for newcomers and longtime enthusiasts of the brand, Matchbox Driving Adventures offers a dynamic and captivating experience that honors the storied legacy of Matchbox, giving players the ability to customize and race 12 original Matchbox vehicles. Explore six unique environments and race across 14 different tracks plus variations and complete over 30 quests in Adventure Mode, as well as compete with up to four players in local multiplayer in Competition Mode.

“Bringing Matchbox back to consoles and PC is a significant milestone for Mattel Digital Games,” said Mike DeLaet, Global Head of Digital Gaming at Mattel. “Outright Games has captured the essence of Matchbox, creating an engaging world that beckons families to explore and compete with the model cars they know and love. We are eager to introduce a new generation to the legacy of Matchbox as they discover the joy of exhilarating real-world adventures and the thrill of the open road.”

“Working with Mattel on Matchbox Driving Adventures has been an incredible opportunity to adapt a legacy brand for a video game,” added Stephanie Malham, Managing Director of Outright Games. “Creating faithful replicas of some of the most iconic vehicles under the label has been a tremendous labor of love that we know collectors and newcomers will enjoy unlocking and customizing as they navigate the game. We’re looking forward to fans of all ages getting hands-on with the different modes and exploring what Matchbox Driving Adventures has to offer.”

Founded in 1953 by automotive enthusiast Jack Odell, the legendary Matchbox brand was created to solve a challenge for his daughter, who could only bring toys to school that fit inside a matchbox. This led to the iconic “matchbox car,” captivating her school friends and birthing a brand that has since brought miniature die-cast car and vehicle models to children and collectors globally. Over the past 70 years, Matchbox has expanded to include model kits, action figures, and large-scale models, maintaining high standards of authenticity that have driven its success. Today, two Matchbox cars are sold every second worldwide. Mattel announced plans to adapt the brand into a live-action film, marking a new chapter in its storied history.

Developed by Casual Brothers, Matchbox Driving Adventures will be available 20th September, 2024, on Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 5.

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Milestone and Mattel, Inc.have released a new trailer for Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 – Turbocharged, available starting October 19th, 2023.

In Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 – Turbocharged, having a fast car will not be the only key to success, as gameplay has been revolutionised with the introduction of two new moves that add an extra layer of depth to competition. With the power of boost, players will be able to Jump or Double Jump at any moment. This new action serves as an ideal tool for overtaking opponents or navigating tight spaces by avoiding obstacles. Moreover, these new moves enable players to not only enhance their racing skills but also discover new shortcuts or access previously unreachable sections of the track.

Meanwhile, the brand-new Lateral Dash allows players to swiftly shift to the left or right, colliding with opponents on either side of their vehicle. Using this manoeuvre, players can strategically force opponents out of bounds or use them to bounce within the confines of the orange plastic track. These new abilities, combined with the boost and drift mechanics players know and love from Hot Wheels Unleashed™, open up a multitude of opportunities and greatly expand the possibilities for players to make strategic decisions and interpret each race and track in their preferred way.

Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 – Turbocharged takes the fun to the next level by introducing five distinct and completely new environments. Players will be transported to an expansive Arcade reminiscent of the bygone era of coin-operated games; a Backyard of a residential house transformed into a thrilling racing arena; a Mini Golf Course nestled within a Wild West township; a Museum where players can race among reproductions of dinosaurs and other fossil artifacts; and a Gas Station housing a once tranquil diner serving juicy hamburgers. In addition, Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 – Turbocharged will feature the Track Room, which offers a special empty environment for players who prefer to unleash their creativity and design their own unique tracks in a neutral space.

Many of the game’s diverse range of tracks will take place exclusively indoors or in the open air, while others will seamlessly transition between both settings, providing a dynamic and immersive racing experience. This variety of settings elevates gameplay, as different environments offer a range of surfaces that significantly impact the handling of vehicles. As a result, racers will need to adapt their skills and carefully select the appropriate vehicle for each race, ensuring a thrilling and strategic experience.

Speaking of vehicles, Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 – Turbocharged presents a vastly expanded launch line up featuring an impressive collection of 130 iconic vehicles from the Hot Wheels universe, including the introduction of all-new classes such as ATVs and Motorcycles. Each vehicle possesses a unique style and character based on the category it belongs to. For example, vehicles in the Rocket category deliver unmatched speed on straightaways, while those in the Balanced category offer a perfect blend of speed and manoeuvrability. The Swift category presents a lighter and fiercely competitive option, while the Drifter is perfect for mastering corners with professional finesse. In contrast, the Heavy-Duty category features colossal and robust vehicles, and the Off-Road class represents the ideal choice for conquering the most challenging off-track terrain.

To truly dominate the competition, a combination of muscle and brain is essential. That’s why Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 – Turbocharged introduces a brand-new Skill System that allows players to customise their vehicles’ driving experience. Players can now invest Skill Points they earn in a Skill Tree consisting of three branches, each focusing on different aspects. These include enhancing boost and related features, improving handling, and upgrading the ability to navigate obstacles. The meaningful choices made in the skill tree enrich both moment-to-moment gameplay and long-term variety as players explore the breadth of customisation options.

In Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 – Turbocharged it’s not just what’s under the hood that matters. The improved Livery Editor will allow the creation of unique designs to stand out on the track, while the new Sticker Editor will enable players to create, save, and share specific patterns and shapes, allowing for further customisation of their vehicle’s appearance! Once they are satisfied with their designs, players can share them with the world, showcasing their artistic skills to fellow racers.

“On top of their expertise with racing games, Milestone’s unique ability to understand the Hot Wheels brand was the key ingredient in making Hot Wheels Unleashed such a success,” said Mike DeLaet, Global Head of Digital Gaming at Mattel. “With Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 – Turbocharged, Milestone has taken gameplay, customisation, graphics, and more to the next level, all while elevating the authentic Hot Wheels experience that remains the wondrous heart of this series.”

Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 – Turbocharged is available now for pre-order on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam and Epic Games Store.

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Down the hall, across the floor rug, over the kitchen bench – anywhere a Hot Wheels track can be laid your race to be the best begins.

There’s no denying the scale and vastness to Mattel’s Hot Wheels toy line.

The pocket sized diecast auto’s designed for kids and collectors.

Now with partnership between Mattel and Milestone Hot Wheels Unleashed revs up and takes off.

While you’ll only start out with a couple of Hot Wheels cars, there is a total of 66 to be added in to your Collection. These can also be improved upon, stats and some customising, or even gift or sell them off.

With your race token winnings and gears upgrades are able to be done – you can also buy yourself some Blind Boxes to kit out your livery or just go shopping.

There’s even a in-game pop-up Shop which offers timed discounts on different cars.

So race well, race to win. Grow your Hot Wheels collection.

To progress you will need to place in the top three and to move onwards and upwards the game’s Levels are displayed on one of those 3D printed maps that we all had for our toy cars as kids.

The game is not overly generous in what it gives out as rewards for a top three placing, so be prepared to race alot to get goodies, tokens and gears.

Your Basement is your hang out. Earn items and such as you play through the games’ main mode to make varying rooms your own.

Gameplay goes from single player in Hot Wheels City Rumble through to multiplayer split screen and of course online.

Hot Wheels Unleashed is a game that’s going to drive your adrenaline through twists and turns, much like the Hot Wheels tracks that are laid out for you in differing environments, rooms within your house.

Catch the on track boosters and try to avoid the obstacles. But save your Nitro boost for the loops and jumps.

Scaled, the Hot Wheels cars are to their environments and environmental objects, as with real world physics. Come off a loop or a jump on an awkward angle and you’ll fly off the track and ultimately need to respawn.

Difficulty is made up via the car(s) you choose to control and the complexity of the tracks.

The Hot Wheels diecasts are meticulously brought to life, from classics to new editions right through to some very special bonus and rare ones.

Hot Wheels Unleashed hearkens back to my childhood (probably everyones) where friends and me would make tracks out of everyday items and then try and race each other, or just smash the mini auto’s in to one and another.

Hot Wheels Unleashed is as hard to put down as a Hot Wheels auto is as easy to pick up and collect.

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Mattel and Milestone, a leading global have just announced the upcoming release of Hot Wheels Unleashed, an all-new, action-packed arcade-style racing game.  

Gamers can get ready to drift, boost, jump and crash on Hot Wheels’ iconic orange tracks in various single player game modes. Gamers can also challenge friends in multiplayer races, both online and offline, leveraging a split screen mode.

“We continue to focus on engaging consumers with our brands through gaming platforms,” said Andrew Chan, Head of Digital Gaming, Mattel. “Hot Wheels is all about encouraging the challenger spirit and Hot Wheels Unleashed brings that mission to life for gamers of all ages. Milestone’s expertise in racing game development has enabled us to transform the Hot Wheels brand into a compelling console and PC gaming experience for both current Hot Wheels fans and gamers who may be rediscovering the iconic brand.”

“Like many other team members who worked on the game, I’ve been playing with Hot Wheels since I was a child, and today I’m still a hungry Hot Wheels fan and collector,” said Michele Caletti, Executive Producer, Milestone. “This is the reason why we’re all so committed in delivering the purest and most authentic Hot Wheels gameplay experience ever in a videogame. We owe it to the Hot Wheels community and to our inner children.”

Hot Wheels Unleashed offers players the opportunity to drive the cars as if they were playing with the die-cast toys. The gameplay includes adrenaline-filled races, an extended choice of Hot Wheels vehicles with different attributes and rarity levels that players can customise with different skins, and jaw-dropping tracks set in everyday-life locations with special track pieces and interactive items. The game also features a revolutionary Track Editor enabling players to customise tracks in any game environment and share them with the game’s community.

Hot Wheels Singles assortment was recently recognised as the 2020 Global Top-Selling Toy of the Year, according to the NPD Group. Fans can experience the brand, which originally debuted in 1968, through toys, consumer products, content, and both virtual and live events.

Mattel and Milestone are introducing a variety of different versions of Hot Wheels Unleashed globally.

The game, which is available for pre-order today, is scheduled to launch on September 30th, 2021 on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One consoles, Nintendo Switch and PC.

Everyone that works on STG is a volunteer. If you like the site and its contents please think about donating. Even a small amount helps keep the servers running.

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Factory Entertainment is pleased to announce that the company has entered into a licensing agreement with Mattel to produce collectibles for Masters of the Universe.

The product collectables series will include 1:1 Prop Replicas, Scaled Prop Replicas and KUZOS Collectible Metal Miniatures.

“We are delighted to be partnering with Mattel to create new Masters of the Universe collectibles,” said Jordan Schwartz, President and CEO of Factory Entertainment. Added Tom Vargas, a Product Developer working on Factory’s Masters of the Universe line, “I personally cannot wait to raise a Power Sword replica above my head and shout the iconic line, ‘By the power of Grayskull!’

All products will be available on Factory Entertainment’s website as well as from various online and brick and mortar retailers.

The post Factory Entertainment To Produce MOTU Officially Licensed Collectibles appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Got my lunch, got my school books, got my Viewmaster.

Mattel and Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures (MGM) have partnered to develop a live action motion picture based on Mattel’s classic toy line View-Master.

For more than 75 years, generations of kids have been introduced to the wonder of 3-D by View-Master. Named by TIME as one of the 100 All Time Greatest Toys in 2011 and inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame, Mattel’s updated version of the classic toy brings the user experience to a whole new level of realism with View-Master VR.

Mattel Films and MGM will co-produce the film. Robbie Brenner, Mattel’s Head of Film and Cassidy Lange, MGM’s Co-President of Production will oversee production.

“Since the 1940’s, View-Master has inspired wonder and joy in children of all ages, creating huge opportunities for storytelling,” said Ms. Brenner. “MGM Pictures has tremendous expertise and a proven track record in capturing audiences’ imagination through film, and we’re proud to be partnering with them to bring another Mattel franchise to theaters. This marks another important milestone as we transform Mattel into an IP-driven, high-performing toy company.”

“View-Master was the first device that allowed families all over the world to escape their reality and take them places they never thought they could go. We couldn’t be more excited to partner with Mattel to create a family adventure integrating the old school turn and click stereotypic device with the modern world of virtual reality,” said Jonathan Glickman, MGM’s President, Motion Picture Group.

This is the second recent collaboration between Mattel Films and MGM, following the companies’ recent announcement to create a feature film based on the beloved American Girl brand. Mattel recently announced an upcoming Hot Wheels live action motion picture and the Barbie feature-film starring and co-produced by Academy Award nominated actress Margot Robbie, both in partnership with Warner Bros. Pictures. Mattel has also partnered with Sony Pictures for a reimagining of Masters of the Universe, based on Mattel’s beloved toy line which became a successful animated television program.

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Not looking a day over her early 20’s Barbie, the female empowerment doll from Mattel has just celebrated her 60th Birthday.

Now, Mattel has kicked off worldwide celebrations to mark the 60th anniversary of Barbie, the number one fashion doll in the world designed to inspire the limitless potential in every girl.

In its 60th year, the Barbie brand is honoring the largest lineup of global female role models and taking the next step to close the Dream Gap by donating to fund like-minded organizations aimed at leveling the playing field for girls through the Mattel Children’s Foundation. Research has shown that starting at age five, girls start doubting their potential, this is the Dream Gap.

“For 60 years, Barbie has championed girls, inspired generations to believe through make believe and showed them that they have choices. With more than 200 careers, six runs for president and a trip to the moon before Neil Armstrong, Barbie continues to evolve to be a modern, relevant role model for all ages,” said Lisa McKnight, General Manager and Senior Vice President, Barbie.  “The Barbie brand believes girls should never know a world, job, or dream women haven’t conquered. Through our global platform, we are igniting a movement to help close the Dream Gap and further establish Barbie as the ultimate girl empowerment brand.”

The brand is celebrating and inspiring girls around the world with its 60th anniversary and for every Barbie sold in the U.S. between the 6th of March 2019 to 11th of March 2019, Mattel will donate $1.00 to the Barbie Dream Gap Project Fund (part of the Mattel Children’s Foundation).

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There was no denying that one of the biggest box office draw-cards at the latter part of 2018 was Aquaman from Warner Bros. Pictures.

Based off the DC Comic series, Jason Momoa plays Arthur, Aquaman with a stellar support cast.

Toy manufacturers, Mattel produced a line up of companion toys to the film, but at this stage only five figures in Series One.

All come very well bubble packaged and feature comic-like artwork on the rear of the packaging aswell as a mention to at least two other figures in the series.

Starting off with Aquaman, the detail to the body face has had a lot of love added in. The life-like expression, the colouring to the hair is totally top shelf stuff.

Aquaman comes with only his trident as an accessory. The trident is okay, but lacks the details that we see on the figure itself. It is almost a plastic straw with a pointy end.

Nonetheseless, Aquaman is the namesake for the toy line – we thought it would be the most popular and hardest to find, but it wasn’t, that medal goes to General Murk, but more about him later.

If, like me you love intricacies when it comes to collectibles, Black Manta, which is one of two fully suited action figures in Mattels Aquaman line does have alot going on with his body work.

The piping or hoses that keep his suit compressed protrude from the body, as they would in real life and as they do in the film.

Mattel have done well here – alot of toy manufacturers take shortcuts and I feel that Mattel really went all out on Black Manta, they could have easily had the piping or hoses as plastic molds as a part of the overall figures body.

Black Manta is the only one on the line up to have a few accessories with him.

Orm is very similar to the Aquaman figure. Differences here are of course the colouring of his suit as I quite liked the silver on purple and how this over lays on the figures body. Orm has a scaled body, similar to Aquaman’s but as he does in the film, Orm has a cape. The cape is not fabric, sadly, it is a soft rubber or plastic.

Again, like Aquaman, Orm comes with only a trident.

Mera’s best feature is the face. For it encapsulates her personality, a no nonsense heroine from the film. Her hair is a soft plastic, rubber like, I suspect that synthetic hair was not used, not only to keep costs down but also to make sure that the Hera figurine appealed to boys aswell as girls.

She is a basic figure though, scaled body, and slimmer when compared to the rest.

Mera comes with two accessories that we see from the film – as they are made of ice both are semi translucent and do not have alot of detail to them.

General Murk seems to be the favourite in the series. Extremely hard to find. As he is the second figure in the series to be fully helmeted which is not removable, I would have thought he would be sufficiently detailed.

He isn’t, not really. The body is very bland asides from the minute detail around the neck just under the helmet. He comes with two accessories. And to be fair, he is rocking some mega gauntlets.

All of the 6 inch figures are fully articulated. For the likes of Aquaman and Orm, their suits get in the way though.

Arms are multi-jointed, there’s the shoulder which has the swivel as you would expect, elbows have both joint and swivel and there’s even some movement around the hand joints.

Leg and pelvic movements are good and solid but you will find that when first unboxed you’ll need to loosen the joints up a bit.

I was very pleased to see each figure was able to grip onto the their accessories tightly. I have experienced time and time again loose grips when it comes to a brand new action figure straight from the box.

With only a handful of action figures in the series – it is an easy one to pick up and get the entire set, however, you may need to search around abit for General Murk.

Mattel have done the film justice with the Aquaman toy line and personally I’m hoping to see a bit more in the series. Would be great to have some of the giant Seahorses or similar as ‘vehicles’ to go along with the release of Series One.

But who knows, perhaps that is something in the works to come out with a second Aquaman film…

In all a top shelf series of figures to own and you can see our video review above.

The post Aquaman Toys Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Hot Wheels announced Luis Rodriguez and his 2JetZ custom car as the winner of the Hot Wheels Legends Tour, a 15-stop tour that scoured the nation in search of a custom car worthy of being made into a 1:64 die-cast toy. The tour was launched in celebration of the brand’s 50th Anniversary.

Rodriguez’s 2JetZ, an open-wheeled jet car, was chosen from more than 3,600 custom cars entered in the Legends Tour and selected for its originality and arresting design. The announcement was made at the 2018 SEMA Show, world-renowned auto show in Las Vegas, where all 15 finalist cars are on display alongside Hot Wheels’ fleet of life-size vehicles.

“All our Legends finalists on display at SEMA are winners — each custom build embodies originality, authenticity and the garage spirit,” said Chris Down, SVP & General Manager, Hot Wheels. “The 2JetZ looks like it performs and everything about it was built from the ground up. Its forward design aesthetic will add variety to the Hot Wheels line and is a car that both adult fans and kids will love.”

The 2JetZ design is inspired by a fighter plane in honor of American veterans. With more than 600 horsepower and a driver’s seat in the middle of the vehicle, the car is crafted with a focus on high-performance and high-end design.

“Hot Wheels has crowned me as a winner, and I get the chance to represent some of the most creative and beautiful designs that I’ve seen,” said Luis Rodriguez. “With my car, I wanted to create something from scratch that tested my ability as a builder and I am happy that the 2JetZ has taken me on this journey.”

At SEMA Auto Show in Las Vegas, Hot Wheels unveiled Luis Rodriguez’s custom 2JetZ as the winner of the first Hot Wheels Legends Tour. The 2JetZ will be immortalized as a die-cast toy car and sold in 2019.

A team of judges, including Hot Wheels designers and automotive influencers, chose the Legends Tour winner for its authenticity, originality and garage spirit. The final team of judges included Jay Leno host of Jay Leno’s Garage; YouTube influencer Tanner Fox; legendary Hot Wheels car designer Larry Wood; and car enthusiast Magnus Walker, among others.

“Hot Wheels has always been about variety and this year’s 15 Legends finalists are a perfect example of that,” said Down. “While 2018’s winner is an open-wheeled jet car, who knows what we will see from next year’s Legends challengers!”

SEMA Show attendees are invited to visit the Hot Wheels Pavilion to see all Legends Tour finalist cars and vehicles from the Hot Wheels Fleet. Also on display are Hot Wheels‘ 50th Anniversary collaborations, including PUMA’s custom sneakers inspired by the life-sized Hot Wheels cars and MOMO’s Hot Wheels 50th Anniversary-inspired high performance steering wheel and shifter.

The Legends Tour winner’s life-size car and die-cast version will be inducted into the Hot Wheels Garage of Legends, a collection of one-of-a-kind cars immortalized as Hot Wheels die-casts that meet the brand’s high standards of style and performance.

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Psyonix, independent video game developer and publisher, and Hot Wheels, revealed to us here at STG a new toy set coming this fall called Hot Wheels Rocket League RC Rivals Set.

The set will feature bluetooth-connected Octane and Dominus Battle-Cars that players will control using smart devices to truly bring Rocket League to life at home.

In addition to the toy set launching later this year, Psyonix and Hot Wheels will also introduce new Hot Wheels DLC into Rocket League following the success of the initial Hot Wheels content introduced in game in 2017.

“We’re thrilled to further our partnership with Hot Wheels and bring Rocket League to life with this upcoming toy set,” said Jeremy Dunham, Vice President, Publishing at Psyonix. “But that’s just the beginning of what we have planned. You can expect to see some really, really cool things come out of our new Hot Wheels alliance.”

“Hot Wheels’ partnership with Rocket League has given us the opportunity to reengage with older gamers who may have played with Hot Wheels as a kid,” said Chris Down, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Hot Wheels. “We know that Hot Wheels and Rocket League fans loved our digital DLC integration in 2017, and will be thrilled to take on the challenge with this new RC playset that merges physical and digital gaming.”

Additional details on Hot Wheels Rocket League RC Rivals Set and the partnership between Psyonix and Hot Wheels in 2018 will be announced later this year. 

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