pocket.watch Expands into Gaming with P.W Games Division

Following last week’s reveal of a massive expansion for the Ryan’s World brand, pocket.watch is officially in the gaming business. P.W Games is the studio’s new gaming division, created to bring a series of new mobile and console games to market. The first game, Tag With Ryan, launched in December in partnership with WildWorks, developer of Animal Jam. The free-to-play endless runner features the likeness of YouTube sensation, Ryan of Ryan ToysReview, and is available on the Apple App Store and Google Play.

“At pocket.watch, our goal is to bring kids and families more of what they love from YouTube, and gaming is central to this mission,” says Chris M. Williams, Founder and CEO of pocket.watch. “Over the past year, we have created books, television shows, consumer products, and more based on some of today’s most popular YouTube stars and formats, and gaming is the next frontier. We’re thrilled to be partnering with the best of the best in the gaming industry to inspire kids and families to play with these beloved characters in an entirely new way.”

Tag With Ryan features many characters from Ryan’s World. The game follows Combo Panda as he hacks a new video game and modifies it to challenge Ryan to an endless, ultimate game of tag. To help Ryan win, players attempt to outrun Combo Panda and find a variety of Ryan’s costumes that have been hidden all over the game. Other characters from Ryan’s World feature prominently in the game, including Gus the Gummy Gator and Red Titan, Ryan’s superhero alter-ego.

P.W Games is also working alongside Superstar Games to launch P.W Putting Planet, a mobile, free-to-play, augmented reality game. The game will feature different planets populated by mini-golf courses inspired by pocket.watch creators HobbyKidsTV. Players interact with a virtual golf experience that appears in their houses, backyards, parks, or anywhere they choose to play on their phones. The game also contains a fully-functional YouTube player so players can watch their favorite HobbyKidsTV videos as they play—a first for any mobile augmented reality game. P.W Putting Planet will launch this spring.

The studio also partnered with Outright Games to bring P.W Games’ first console game, Race with Ryan, to market. The kart racer is expected in stores this fall.

About the author

James Zahn

James Zahn, AKA The Rock Father, is Editor-in-Chief of The Toy Book, a Senior Editor at The Toy Insider and The Pop Insider, and Editor of The Toy Report, The Toy Book‘s weekly industry newsletter. As a pop culture and toy industry expert, Zahn has appeared as a panelist and guest at events including Comic-Con International: San Diego (SDCC) Wizard World Chicago, and the ASTRA Marketplace & Academy. Zahn has more than 30 years of experience in the entertainment, retail, and publishing industries, and is frequently called upon to offer expert commentary for publications such as Forbes, Marketwatch, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, USA Today, Reuters, the Washington Post, and more. James has appeared on History Channel’s Modern Marvels, was interviewed by Larry King and Anderson Cooper, and has been seen on Yahoo! Finance, CNN, CNBC, FOX Business, NBC, ABC, CBS, WGN, The CW, and more. Zahn joined the Adventure Media & Events family in 2016, initially serving as a member of the Parent Advisory Board after penning articles for the Netflix Stream Team, Fandango Family, PBS KIDS, Sprout Parents (now Universal Kids), PopSugar, and Chicago Parent. He eventually joined the company full time as a Senior Editor and moved up the ranks to Deputy Editor and Editor-in-Chief.