Nickelodeon is looking to change the animation game. The kid-focused network announced the upcoming series of Meet the Voxels, which is currently in development. The animated series focuses on a family of video game characters. They include laser tag champion Hunter, bubble-popping Maude, street fighter Mom, and retired Dad. Youngest son Cody, however, has yet to find his video game calling. Not only is the series centered around video games, it will also be made in an actual game engine!
Meet the Voxels (which is a working title) is based on the work of the Nickelodeon Entertainment Lab. The studio is Nickelodeon’s R&D unit for AR and VR projects. The Entertainment Lab was officially unveiled a year ago. Nickelodeon aims to create works using real-time animation.
The main advantage to using a game engine, SVP of Engine Lab Chris Young notes, is the ability to render works on a variety of mediums. Projects can be easily translated across television, video games, VR, and AR using the same assets.
The engine being used for Meet the Voxels is currently unknown. However, Variety notes that Nickelodeon has previously used Epic’s Unreal Engine. Previously, they were behind VR titles such as Slime Zone and a 360-experienced based on The Loud House. Nickelodeon has also teased that they plan to bring Meet the Voxels to AR and VR in addition to the small screen.
Nickelodeon has been ramping up its video game projects lately. Earlier this year, the network announced a new partnership with THQ Nordic. In addition, Nickelodeon Kart Racers was recently unveiled. It features characters from Spongebob SquarePants, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and more engaging in, what else? Kart races.
[Source: Variety]
