Super League Gaming Introduces DreamWorks Animation’s The Bad Guys to the Gaming Metaverse Through Innovative Media Activation

Interactive 3D ads from Super League power exceptional player engagement with five unforgettable characters from the new animated feature film

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SANTA MONICA, Calif., April 19, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Super League Gaming, (Nasdaq: SLGG), a leading network of metaverse games, monetization tools, and content channels, today announced the introduction of five characters from the new DreamWorks Animation feature film, The Bad Guys (in theaters April 22), into the gaming metaverse. DreamWorks Animation, a division of the Universal Filmed Entertainment Group within NBCUniversal, is Super League’s first partner showcasing its recently launched innovative 3D ad units. The promotional campaign, designed to excite gaming communities around the film’s unforgettable characters, leverages Super League’s innovative 3D interactive ad units and international advertising network, which reaches more than 75mm young gamers monthly.

Universal Pictures, which releases all DreamWorks Animation films, has pioneered a new way to create connections with young audiences. With this new campaign, The Bad Guys characters come to life in front of a player’s eyes every time a player passes by. As they encounter pre-programmed dialogue boxes that trigger exciting and fun conversation, gamers can get to know and start bonding with the film’s colorful characters prior to the film’s April 22 release. In just the first four days of the program, the collection of ad units, including The Bad Guys billboards, animated GIFs, and 3D ads, generated more than 10 million impressions of at least 10 seconds in duration, and were seen by more than 2.2 million unique players. More significantly, players self-selected to interact with the 3D characters for more than 42 days of total chat time, yielding a 15% engagement rate and an engaged user rate of 62%, with 62% of players who recorded an impression choosing to chat with the 3D Bad Guys characters. This rate is substantially greater than the average Tik Tok engagement rates of 1.5-16% (source: Funnel.io), which is highest among social media platforms. In addition, the campaign featured the prompt "We are going to pull off the ultimate heist and go from bad to good! See us in movie theaters April 22! Will you watch?" 79% of users responded ‘Yes.’ Bottom line: The Bad Guys and Super League’s 3D ads are good in game!

Super League’s full suite of ad formats come fully equipped with robust performance analytics, now optimized for 3D units, offering critical measurement around key metrics, including engagement rate, response rate, chat time, exposure time, reach, and complete audience demographics. This is the first of many campaigns that will allow players inside Roblox to interact and converse with brands like never before.

“At DreamWorks Animation and Universal Pictures, we are committed to innovation and creating unforgettable characters that thrill, amuse and entertain audiences of all ages, so we are delighted to help introduce DreamWorks’ incredible Bad Guys to the world through Super League Gaming and the gaming metaverse,” said Nicole Schlegel, Vice President of Global Digital Marketing for Universal Pictures. “We have zero doubt that gamers will have a blast as they meet and interact with these characters and that it will enrich their experience with The Bad Guys when the film arrives in theaters on April 22.”

“The ability to bring these characters to life at scale takes in-game experience to a whole new level,” said Mike Wann, Chief Strategy Officer for Super League. “These products are able to create authentic, exciting interactions with new personalities, and delight players with engaging new activities in the gaming metaverse. This new format not only brings deep insights for brands, but also incremental monetization for game developers - all while increasing in-game dwell time.”

DreamWorks Animation’s The Bad Guys opens in theaters April 22, 2022

About The Bad Guys

Nobody has ever failed so hard at trying to be good as The Bad Guys.

In the new action comedy from DreamWorks Animation, based on the New York Times best-selling book series, a crackerjack criminal crew of animal outlaws are about to attempt their most challenging con yet—becoming model citizens.

Never have there been five friends as infamous as The Bad Guys—dashing pickpocket Wolf (Academy Award^® winner Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri), seen-it-all safecracker Snake (Marc Maron, GLOW), chill master-of-disguise Shark (Craig Robinson, Hot Tub Time Machine franchise), short-fused “muscle” Piranha (Anthony Ramos, In the Heights) and sharp-tongued expert hacker Tarantula (Awkwafina, Crazy Rich Asians), aka “Webs.”

But when, after years of countless heists and being the world’s most-wanted villains, the gang is finally caught, Wolf brokers a deal (that he has no intention of keeping) to save them all from prison: The Bad Guys will go good.

Under the tutelage of their mentor Professor Marmalade (Richard Ayoade, Paddington 2), an arrogant (but adorable!) guinea pig, The Bad Guys set out to fool the world that they’ve been transformed. Along the way, though, Wolf begins to suspect that doing good for real may give him what he’s always secretly longed for: acceptance. So when a new villain threatens the city, can Wolf persuade the rest of the gang to become … The Good Guys?

The film co-stars Zazie Beetz (Joker), Lilly Singh (Bad Moms) and Emmy winner Alex Borstein (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel).

From a screenplay by Etan Cohen (Tropic Thunder, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa) based on the blockbuster Scholastic books by Aaron Blabey, The Bad Guys is directed by Pierre Perifel (animator, the Kung Fu Panda films), making his feature-directing debut. The film is produced by Damon Ross p.g.a. (development executive Trolls, The Boss Baby, co-producer Nacho Libre) and Rebecca Huntley p.g.a. (associate producer, The Boss Baby). The executive producers are Etan Cohen, Aaron Blabey and Patrick Hughes.

About Super League Gaming
Super League Gaming (Nasdaq: SLGG) builds and operates networks of games, monetization tools and content channels across metaverse gaming platforms that empower developers, energize players, and entertain fans. The company’s solutions provide incomparable access to an audience consisting of players in the largest global metaverse environments, fans of hundreds of thousands of gaming influencers, and viewers of gameplay content across major social media and digital video platforms. Fueled by proprietary and patented technology systems, the company’s platform includes access to vibrant in-game communities, a leading metaverse advertising platform, a network of highly viewed channels and original shows on Instagram, TikTok, Snap, YouTube, and Twitch, cloud-based livestream production tools, and an award-winning esports invitational tournament series. Super League’s properties deliver powerful opportunities for brands and advertisers to achieve impactful insights and marketing outcomes with gamers of all ages. For more, go to superleague.com.

About DreamWorks Animation
DreamWorks Animation (DWA), a division of the Universal Filmed Entertainment Group, within NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation, is a global family entertainment company with feature film and television brands. The company’s deep portfolio of intellectual property is supported by a robust, worldwide consumer products practice, which includes licensing, and location-based entertainment venues around the world. DWA’s feature film heritage includes many of the world’s most beloved characters and franchises, including Shrek and Puss in Boots, Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda, How to Train Your Dragon, Spirit, Trolls, The Boss Baby and 2022’s The Bad Guys have amassed more than $15 billion in global box office receipts. DreamWorks Animation’s television studio is one of the world’s leading producers of high-quality, animated family programming, reaching consumers in more than 190 countries with a diverse array of award-winning original content through streaming and linear broadcasters.

About Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures is a division of Universal Studios (www.universalstudios.com). Universal Studios is part of NBCUniversal. NBCUniversal is one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production and marketing of entertainment, news and information to a global audience. NBCUniversal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group and world-renowned theme parks. NBCUniversal is a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation.

CONTACT
For Super League
Gillian Sheldon
gillian.sheldon@superleague.com

Forward-Looking Statements
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