Steven Universe x Regular Show collab
How many Adventure Time games has WayForward done now? Thirteen? Twenty-seven? It makes sense. Its original anime like Adventure Time, Regular Show, and Steven Universe are hits. But why have someone else make the games when you can get the milk for free? Adult Swim Games is at least publishing games like Rick and Morty: Pocket Mortys (and dope stuff unrelated to its programming, like Jazzpunk).
Well, Cartoon Network has turned everything on its head by creating a new, in-house video game that isn’t based on any of its established cartoons (though it’s pretty dang similar), OK K.O.! Lakewood Plaza Turbo.
It started life as an animated short, a pilot called Lakewood Plaza Turbo from Steven Universe’s Ian Jones-Quartey, co-produced by Regular Show storyboard artist Toby Jones. You can watch it online. But instead of becoming a ‘toon, it became a game. It’s an experiment in world-building according to Cartoon Network’s chief content officer Rob Sorcher, who told Wired, “We’re no longer just about creating TV series, we’re really about creating animated worlds.”
“OK K.O. is part of a concerted effort to reinvent our process of content creation,” Sorcher said. “It’s the expectation of a younger emerging audience that characters and worlds are there to be engaged with, commented on, built upon, contributed to, and interacted with. The world is no longer linear to a young audience. So why would we continue to create content that way?” Go ship wild, then.
Best news out of all this, far as I can tell? Cartoon Network’s money people are aware that individual artists’ idiosyncrasies, deliveries, and visions are dope as hell in creating interesting cartoons. Foster more folks like Genndy Tartakovsky (Dexter’s Lab, Samurai Jack) — you’ll get more money, and we’ll get better anime.
Here Come Cartooniverses! Cartoon Network Is Moving Beyond TV [Wired]
