Award-winning global independent animation studio ZAG announces the launch of a new business division, ZAG Games & Interactive Experiences, to develop new gaming experiences and other interactive opportunities across Mobile, PC, Online, Consol Games, VR & AR, Video and Mobile Apps for all of the properties under the ZAG Heroez™ label—an umbrella brand franchise that brings together the superheroes from ZAG’s animated properties.
ZAG appoints trusted games industry executive Elinor Schops as VP to spearhead ZAG Games & Interactive Experiences. Based in Israel, she will lead an all-star team of creatives and will report directly to Julian Zag, Executive Vice President, Global Operations at ZAG. ZAG’s first “official” global mobile game for Miraculous™- Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir was released in April 2018 and ranked the #1 game in 39 countries with 100 million downloads to date.
“Following the huge success of the first Miraculous game, as well as the phenomenal presence of the brand online with over 20 billion views on YouTube, establishing the ZAG Games & Interactive Experiences division has been an important strategic goal for us, especially in managing the requests from gaming companies worldwide,” commented Julian Zag. “We are thrilled to have found the ideal executive in Elinor to lead this new division and the talented team we are building, while bringing her extensive expertise across entertainment, music, media and mobile fields to this new important role. With a renowned reputation as a ‘Startup Nation’ and a major global player in the gaming industry cross platforms, Israel is a perfect location to launch this new endeavor to manage game development for our phenomenal award-winning stable of brands.”
“Gaming has become a tremendous multi-billion-dollar industry globally, and I am thrilled to lead this new division to maximize all of the untapped potential in this arena with ZAG’s amazing catalog of hit properties to develop unforgettable gaming experiences for fans all over the world,” said Schops.
Schops will drive new opportunities for the company’s key brands under the ZAG Heroez™ label, including the company’s flagship brand, the global phenomenon Miraculous™: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir. Over 150M products have been sold for the brand during the past three years. Seasons four and five of the #1 ranked series are currently in production, as well as two big-budget animated specials to be available globally (except for Brazil and China) on Disney Channel and Disney+, plus a major $70M U.S. theatrical release. Additionally, season three of the series launches this summer and fall around the world. Seasons one and two currently air in key territories, consistently ranking #1 in the U.K., France, Spain, Italy, Poland, Brazil and Mexico, and top-ranked in the U.S. on Disney Channel. And, according to Parrot Analytics, Miraculous was the most in-demand children’s show on Netflix when it launched in the U.S. and Russia (2018 and 2019). Power Players, which currently airs on Cartoon Network in the U.S. and in key territories across EMEA and Asia Pacific, is available for streaming on Netflix and available on France’s France Télévisions, Germany’s KiKa, Brazil’s Gloob, and Discovery Latin America. A new toy line from Zag Lab and Playmates Toys for Power Players recently debuted in the U.S., with an international roll-out commencing this fall. ZAG’s newest property, Ghostforce, is currently in production for Disney Channel EMEA, TF1, and Discovery Kids Latin America.
Before joining ZAG, Schops served as Vice President of Business Development at CrazyLabs (formerly TabTale), a Top10 mobile Casual and Hyper Casual game developer and publisher. Amongst other initiatives, she was responsible for establishing the Casual IP business for the company, and for the planning and execution of the company’s B2B marketing strategy to expand the company’s reach and recognition, as well as to drive potential partners’ awareness, engagement and satisfaction. Previously, she served as Director of Marketing and Business Development at Gravity, a world renowned Creative, Design, Content and Brand Communications company. Schops also worked at Israel’s leading sports, media and entertainment company ONE (part of Yedioth Achronoth group) and its subsidiary Mobile1, where she initiated and managed strategic partnerships. As an executive in the gaming industry, Schops initiated the first ever Women In Games event in Israel. She also established an online network and mentoring program for Israeli Women In Games.