CLIMATE RESPONSE PROCEDURAL ‘BREAKING POINT’ IN THE WORKS AT TITAN1STUDIOS

Titan1Studios enlists Abdul Malik, a 2022 Playback 10 to Watch recipient, to help develop a series about a first of its kind SWAT team for climate catastrophes and natural disasters.

Click here to read PLAYBACK’s coverage of this story.

Toronto based cross-media outfit Titan1Studios, who recently announced their new animation label Missing Socks Entertainment would set up shop in Calgary, is going global. The studio is proud to announce development on renewable event series entitled BREAKING POINT.

The series, developed for TV by TRANSPLANT writer and Playback 10 to Watch recipient Abdul Malik, centers on a cynical scientist forced to work alongside his long-estranged daughter, after being tapped to lead a first-of-its-kind “Climate SWAT team” of international operatives tasked with rescuing those caught in the middle of Earth’s deadliest climate catastrophes.

This globe-spanning crisis-of-the-week procedural will be home-based in Canada but will see it’s operatives tackle everything from a drought in Pakistan to a chemical leak in Ohio, balancing large-scale and small-scale conflicts with a focus on interpersonal relationships between the culturally diverse team with a strong emphasis on hope.

Malik will Executive Produce the series alongside Titan1Studios Founder and CEO Rathan Moorthy and VP Content Wes Ambrecht.

“In Breaking Point, Titan1Studios has found an electrifying way into procedural storytelling that nods to some of our favorite series of yesteryear like House MD and Flashpoint, while also reflecting on the world around us and projecting forward to a future that we hope will be better than our present” said Ambrecht. “I know I speak for everyone here when I say we feel very fortunate to be working with Abdul on this series, which has global stakes and mass appeal but is also firmly anchored in Canada.”

“It's incredibly exciting to develop a project addressing the issues of the here-and-now with Titan1Studios” added Malik. “This is a series that speaks to ideas of climate justice that I care about deeply, and most importantly, does so with hope, a light touch, and a keen sense of uplifting possibility. I love exciting, tense stories such as this one - but it's my firm belief that stories this topical must show us a better way forward instead of engaging in the pessimism which often makes us feel powerless. Breaking Point, I hope, does that and more. It's a new turn on procedural story that I'm really excited for the world to see.”

Malik spent a decade on the front lines of labor and environmental movements as a doc maker, which led to him co-writing feature PEACE BY CHOCOLATE, a film that premiered at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival. He inked a first-look deal with THE WAY HOME producers Neshema last month and currently has a labor relations drama, SALT, in the works at Marble Media. Malik is repped by Meta Talent Agency and Rain Management.

About TITAN1STUDIOS

Founded in 2016, TITAN1STUDIOS is an award-winning Cross-Media Content & Technology Studio specializing in Original IP.  The studio embraces diversity and representation across all facets of the creative process, which is reflected in our executives, artists and technology talent.

While our stories span the far reaches of time and space, our themes often hit much closer to home with a key emphasis on family, identity, mental health, and building a better tomorrow. 

Our initial wave of comics and graphic novels included the KNIGHT GUARDIANS OF RELATIVITY and the all-ages hit ZOMBEN, properties that served as a bedrock of two separate and distinct universes: the Relativity Universe and the Multipocalypse Universe. 

In TV, the company has an eclectic slate that includes an all-ages animated adaptation of ZOMBEN, a live action take on the successful YA novel series THE COSEEMA SAGA, and an adult drama inspired by the upcoming EVENTS AT UNITY FARM video game. Titan1Studios also recently launched a new animation outfit, Missing Socks Entertainment, based out of Calgary, with a slate of adult animation titles including MODERN ROGUE based on the hit YouTube channel, a medieval workplace comedy entitled DRAGONS & WARTS, and WTF! WRESTLING THE FEDERATION from creators Kanja Chen (Fraggle Rock) and Atul Rao (Deepa & Anoop, Ghee Happy).  

In Video Games, the studio has a variety of projects in production. EVENTS AT UNITY FARM, a fresh take on open-world virtual reality, with magic shooting combat, puzzle solving, exploration, and a rich narrative, is in the late stages of production with a scheduled release in October 2023 on all major VR platforms.  Also, production is underway on LOVE IS A ROUGELITE, a turn-based action game set within a procedurally generated love story, slated for release on Valentine’s Day in 2024.

LIVE ACTION SERIES ADAPTATION OF “LOVE IS A ROGUELITE” IN THE WORKS AT TITAN1STUDIOS

The Canadian cross-media studio will develop the new series WILD FRONTIER in conjunction with the turn-based video game currently in production.

Click here to read PLAYBACK’s coverage of this story.

REX LINWOOD will take flight on TV in Wild Frontier, a new sci-fi action-comedy series in development at Titan1Studios. The freighter pilot turned Space Marshal, who originated in Titan1Studios’ comic series ZOMBEN, before being spun off to his own turned-based action game, will soon look to conquer a new medium.

Famed Canadian-American Showrunner Jon Cooksey (KILLJOYS, THE COLLECTOR) will Write and Executive Produce the TV series, which follows our beloved hero on a brand new quest, as the pursuit of his long lost love LAKSHMI extends from PC and Consoles to the small screen.

A space cowboy at heart, Linwood has found himself making the wrong decision at the right time, over and over again, like when he was 13-years-old and accidentally created a whole different Y2K than the one we experienced.  One where a huge wormhole caused the destruction of Earth. Now, in this version of 2023, Rex traverses the galaxy as a space freighter pilot alongside his only friend, a hunk-of-junk robot named PADRE. But all that’s about to change when the girl he loved and lost in Junior High comes back into his life and throws him headfirst into the intergalactic Wild West where he’ll become a Space Marshal.

Titan1Studios Founder and CEO Rathan Moorthy and VP Content Wes Ambrecht will Executive Produce alongside Cooksey.

“Rex is one of my favorite characters from the entirety of Titan1Studios’ back catalogue,” said Ambrecht. “A loveable loser turned surprise space marshal, he represents the underdog in all of us. I can’t wait to see his adventures on TV where I’m sure he’ll have an entirely new audience shaking their heads, rolling with laughter and swooning in equal measure.”

Cooksey’s fascination is with the relationship at the center of the story. “Rex is a romantic, but he doesn’t have a clue about what it’s like to be in a real relationship. Then he falls in love with the most challenging woman imaginable, an outlaw who is his lost junior high love at 33 years old…but she’s only ever been 33 years old, because her timeline got ripped apart in that Y2K incident. So you have these two characters who both have to grow up in very different ways to be together. Meanwhile, her 13 year old self is dating an alien,” Cooksey laughs. “It's… complicated.”

“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to work with someone of Jon's calibre, experience and reputation as a storyteller. His comedic sensibilities and love of genre are the perfect match to take this project forward”, said Moorthy.  “Wild Frontier represents everything we love about Saturday morning serials, wrapped into a sleek contemporary take on FIREFLY meets RESIDENT ALIEN with the absurdity of a Douglas Adams novel.”

As in the video game, “Love is Roguelite,” which was awarded CMF support in 2022, and set for release on Valentine’s Day in 2024, romance, comedy and rollicking adventure will be central to WILD FRONTIER. With the series billed as a four-quadrant franchise in the mold of GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY.

 

About TITAN1STUDIOS

Founded in 2016, TITAN1STUDIOS is an award-winning Cross-Media Content & Technology Studio specializing in Original IP.  The studio embraces diversity and representation across all facets of the creative process, which is reflected in our executives, artists and technology talent.

While our stories span the far reaches of time and space, our themes often hit much closer to home with a key emphasis on family, identity, mental health, and building a better tomorrow.

Our initial wave of comics and graphic novels included the KNIGHT GUARDIANS OF RELATIVITY and the all-ages hit ZOMBEN, properties that served as a bedrock of two separate and distinct universes: the Relativity Universe and the Multipocalypse Universe. The studio has since added a third universe, the Coseema Saga, based on our popular YA novel series.  All three offer unique world-building genre fair with cross-generational appeal and visually arresting artwork.

In Video Games, the studio has a variety of projects in production.  Its signature project, The Events at Unity Farm, a fresh take on open-world virtual reality, with magic shooting combat, puzzle solving, exploration, and a rich narrative, is in the late stages of production with a scheduled release in October 2023 on all major VR platforms. 

 

TITAN1STUDIOS LAUNCHES NEW CALGARY ANIMATION STUDIO “MISSING SOCKS”; UNVEILS SLATE

The initial projects include three adult animation titles that will be developed concurrently for TV and Interactive.

Click here to read PLAYBACK’s coverage of this story.

After a busy 2022 that saw the company establish a Film and TV division and unveil several projects adapted from their own IP library, Toronto-based Titan1Studios announced today the beginning of a new chapter. The cross-media outfit is spinning off their animation projects into a separate division entitled Missing Socks Entertainment. This new Calgary-based studio, tasked with developing and producing high quality projects for a global audience, will be overseen by Titan1Studios Founder & CEO Rathan Moorthy, and recently named VP, Content Wes Ambrecht.

“As we began taking projects to market last year, it became clear that there was a real appetite for all types of animation, from buyers and consumers alike” said Ambrecht. “Naturally, this made us ask ourselves what a Titan1Studios animated series might look like, and quickly it became clear that the projects we were developing represented a brand onto themselves. I’m ecstatic we’re finally at a place where we can introduce the world to Missing Socks!”

Luke Azevedo, VP Creative Industries, Operations & Film Commissioner at Calgary Economic Development expressed “We are pleased to welcome Titan1Studios' Missing Socks Entertainment to the Calgary ecosystem. Their vast knowledge of entertainment technology, Original IP development, and the commercial market globally will be a definite asset as we grow and develop the Digital Media & Entertainment industry in Calgary.”

Added, Moorthy “We are thrilled to bring our real-time technology toolkit and slate of animated intellectual property to our new Calgary home. For the last 6-months we have explored multiple regions of Canada, and Calgary consistently ranked at the top of the list for quality of life, affordability of housing, and a passionate growing tech ecosystem. We couldn’t be happier to be part of the energy that is Calgary.”

The first three projects under the Missing Socks banner represent an eclectic mix of tone and animation styles. They include:

MODERN ROGUES: CALL TO ACTION; An animated fish out of water action-comedy following real-life oddball YouTubers (Brian Brushwood and Jason Murphy) as they venture into the dangerous world of international espionage at the behest of a secret government agency... because sometimes the person you least expect turns out to be the right rogue for the job. The series will be written by Merrill Barr and showrun by Andy Sipes and Matt Mariska (DALLAS & ROBO, CODE MONKEYS).

The project represents the evolution of THE MODERN ROGUE brand, an independent scripted reality series with more than 1.4 million subscribers on YouTube, created by Brian Brushwood and Jason Murphy (HACKING THE SYSTEM). Brushwood and Murphy will Executive Produce and lend their voice talent to the new series, which also boasts Actor Greg Grunberg (STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI, STAR TREK BEYOND, HEROES, and currently shooting DUSTER for HBO Max), as a Producer and the voice of the pair’s government handler.

DRAGONS & WARTS; Written by Daniel Callaghan & Luke Watson (MEDICAL MARIJUANA MAN), a half-hour adult animated workplace comedy set in a medieval fantasy world.

In the walled city of Bevnae, Lord and Lady Lesterson rule over a fiefdom of misfits and malcontents. As lesser royalty, they’re middle management in the Queen’s greater realm. To maintain their station, they must hold the Queen’s favor, which means relying on their management skills and the collective effort of their people – a congregation of colorful characters just trying to get by in a world without running water, labor laws, and insurance against acts of wizards or dragon fire.

WTF! Wrestling the Federation; Created by Puppeteer & Writer Kanja Chen (FRAGGLE ROCK) and to be showrun by Atul Rao (DEEPA & ANOOP, PRESS START!, APOLLO’S PAD), a rollicking animated half-hour workplace comedy set against Calgary’s most middling wrestling promotion circa 1980-something.

The series follows the adventures of Jay Champion, a small town, Amish grappler, and his group of friends, as they deal with the cutthroat world of professional wrestling. Body slamming bears, accidentally flashing the neighbors, getting into neighborhood “turf wars” and trying to wrestle with a teammate that would sooner piledrive you than actually help you, is all in a regular day for the wrestlers of the WTF! 

All three of the projects will include interactive components, as is standard for Titan1Studios. In the case of WTF, an arcade action brawler was recently approved for Canada Media Fund support.

 

About TITAN1STUDIOS

Founded in 2016, TITAN1STUDIOS is an award-winning Cross-Media Content & Technology Studio specializing in Original IP.  The studio embraces diversity and representation across all facets of the creative process, which is reflected in our executives, artists and technology talent.

While our stories span the far reaches of time and space, our themes often hit much closer to home with a key emphasis on family, identity, mental health, and building a better tomorrow. 

Our initial wave of comics and graphic novels included the KNIGHT GUARDIANS OF RELATIVITY and the all-ages hit ZOMBEN, properties that served as a bedrock of two separate and distinct universes: the Relativity Universe and the Multipocalypse Universe. The studio has since added a third universe, the Coseema Saga, based on our popular YA novel series.  All three offer unique world-building genre fair with cross-generational appeal and visually arresting artwork.

In Video Games, the studio has a variety of projects in production.  It’s signature project, The Events at Unity Farm, a fresh take on open-world virtual reality, with magic shooting combat, puzzle solving, exploration, and a rich narrative, is in the late stages of production with a scheduled release in October 2023 on all major VR platforms.  The studio has also started production on Love is a Roguelite (LIAR), a turn-based rogue-lite set within a procedurally generated love story. The project is based on the Wild Frontier intellectual property developed for television by Showrunner Jon Cooksey (SUPER NATURAL ACADEMY, KILLJOYS, THE COLLECTOR).

In Entertainment  Technology,  the  company  offers  services  in Real-Time  Production,  Artificial Intelligence,  Visual  Development, and  Web3, with client projects  across  TV/Film,  Animation,  Gaming,  Publishing,  and  the Metaverse.


For more information, please visit Titan1Studios.com.

 

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TITAN1STUDIOS Launches EVENTS AT UNITY FARM during STEAM NEXT FEST

The Open-World VR game, is available for demo on Steam and joins the platform’s Next Fest taking place from February 6th - 13th.

Experience the Multipocalypse Universe and Titan1Studios’ fresh take on Open-World VR

Titan1Studios has announced their Open-World VR title EVENTS AT UNITY FARM will take part in this year’s Steam Next Fest. The game, which completed its second round of Closed Beta in January, is available now as a demo on the platform.

In EVENTS AT UNITY FARM, you put your aim to the test as you dual-wield spells while running and dodging to survive an onslaught of enemy attacks.

Survive a mix of persistent and wave-based enemies with epic souls-like boss battles, solve unique puzzles, and gather materials to improve your skills, by utilizing an ancestral journal to empower an intuitive point-and-shoot spell combat system that brings an arsenal of spells to your fingertips

The Open-World VR mechanics also include Survival and RPG elements that pit you against a range of creatures trained to use a variety of tactics directly impacted by their emotional state, in an ever-expanding story universe.

EVENTS AT UNITY FARM mixes the best of Lovecraftian Horror and Dark Fantasy with a dash of Steampunk for good measure.

You play as Ruth Bowie, the game’s unlikely hero; a shy BIPOC teen from a matrilineal line of occult scientists that she only comes to learn of upon arriving at Unity Farm.  Sent back in time by her grandmother to prevent the Multipocalypse she must learn to wield her ancestors journal to defeat the hordes of creatures from myth, legend, technology and human experimentation gone wrong.

IN STORY MODE: You experience a rich and cinematic single player campaign as you explore Unity Farm to find artifacts, solve puzzles, and survive combat to unlock the mysteries of the farm. Story elements include an ancient inter-dimensional portal, the investigation of a deep evil that lurks beneath the farm, discovering the lingering presence of the Graumann Company; an evil corporation who seeks to turn the farm’s supernatural properties into profit, and the ultimate goal of bringing the Ghost Girl named Alliss back to life.

IN HORDE MODE: You must survive waves of enemies and combat epic bosses with riveting spell shooting combat to progress through stages until you reach the final Portal Creature battle.  Collect Boons, Upgrades and Skills at each stage, providing an endlessly replay-able rogue-lite experience.  Gameplay stats are tracked and posted to a global leaderboard making this mode a great fit for Location-based Entertainment (LBE) and Mobile VR.  

A future LIVE SERVICE MODEL is also on the horizon with story expansions, seasonal updates, and monthly challenges expected.

Watch the EVENTS AT UNITY FARM Story Teaser here.

UNITY FARM marks a new era for Canadian cross-media outfit Titan1Studios, as it takes its IP from Comics to Gaming. The Multipocalypse, which originated in their ZOMBEN comic series, is the direct result of cataclysm on multiple Earths that results in three unique apocalyptic events from three separate Earths all occurring at once in the world that players will inhabit.

Steam Next Fest will take place from February 6th to February 13th, 2023. A demo of the game is currently available on the title’s Steam Store Page.

 

About TITAN1STUDIOS

Founded in 2016, TITAN1STUDIOS is an award-winning Cross-Media Content & Technology Studio specializing in Original IP.  The studio embraces diversity and representation across all facets of the creative process, which is reflected in our executives, artists, and technology talent.


While our stories span the far reaches of time and space, our themes often hit much closer to home with a key emphasis on family, identity, mental health, and building a better tomorrow.

 
Our initial wave of comics and graphic novels included the KNIGHT GUARDIANS OF RELATIVITY and the all-ages hit ZOMBEN, properties that served as a bedrock of two separate and distinct universes: the Relativity Universe and the Multipocalypse Universe. The studio has since added a third universe, the Coseema Saga, based on our popular YA novel series.  All three offer unique world-building genre fair with cross-generational appeal and visually arresting artwork.


In entertainment technology, the company offers services in Real-Time Production,  Visual  Development, AI,  and  Web3.    Our  slate  of  projects  includes  IP  in  TV/Film,  Animation,  Gaming,  Publishing,  and  the Metaverse.

FOLLOW US ON SOCIALS:

TITAN1STUDIOS Enters Gaming Sector, Drops Trailer For EVENTS AT UNITY FARM

The Open-World VR game marks cross media studio’s first major release.

Titan1Studios has announced their upcoming Open-World VR title EVENTS AT UNITY FARM. The game, which will launch its Closed Beta in October, marks the beginning of a new era for the Canadian cross media outfit as it takes its IP from Comics to Gaming.

After launching at Fan Expo Canada in 2016, Titan1Studios released comics from its RELATIVITY and MULTIPOCALYPSE Universe series including, KNIGHT GUARDIANS OF RELATIVITY and ZOMBEN respectively.  They are also behind the thrilling SCI-FI/FANTASY YA novel series THE COSEEMA SAGA. In 2020, the studio expanded into gaming and technology when they began development on EVENTS AT UNITY FARM, an extension of the Multipocalypse Universe.

The Multipocalypse is the direct result of cataclysm on multiple Earths that results in three unique apocalyptic events from three separate Earths all occurring at once in our world. In EVENTS AT UNITY FARM, players must prevent the Multipocalypse by solving the mystery of what happened to a ghost girl with a strange connection to their past, using an ancestral journal that empowers physical magic casting, solving unique puzzles, and gathering materials to improve their skills.

In EVENTS AT UNITY FARM, players must prevent the Multipocalypse by solving the mystery of what happened to a ghost girl with a strange connection to their past.

The Open-World VR mechanics also include survival and RPG elements with fast-paced shooter-style spell combat that pits you against a variety of creatures in an ever-expanding story universe, while mixing the best of Lovecraftian Horror and Fantasy with a dash of Steampunk for good measure.

Ruth Bowie, the game’s BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, Person of Color) hero, is a shy teen from a matrilineal line of occult scientists that she only comes to learn of upon arriving at Unity Farm. It’s her grandmother who sends her back in time to prevent the Multipocalypse and her great-grandmother’s journal she must learn to wield to defeat the hordes of creatures from myth, legend, technology, and human experimentation gone wrong.

Watch the teaser for EVENTS AT UNITY FARM below:

With only a handful of VR games featuring BIPOC characters, let alone leads, EVENTS AT UNITY FARM seeks to open new doors for representation in the gaming sector. The project leans into the opportunity to subvert the horror genre and deliver a rich narrative that is diverse, cultural, and 2SLGBTQIA+. This approach has long been a tenet of TITAN1STUDIOS, a company founded with the express intent of inclusivity across mediums.

A unique visual style for cinematic story moments, illustrated and animated by hand in virtual reality

Staying close to its graphic novel roots, Titan1Studios has also created a unique visual style and pipeline for the game’s Cinematics. Key story moments have been illustrated and animated by hand in virtual reality using an immersive toolset. The result marries the traditional comic book look with animatic style animation and a haunting yet hopeful musical score.

Watch the Cinematic Story trailer for EVENTS AT UNITY FARM below:

Closed Beta for the game will take place from October 25th to November 1st, 2022 during Steam’s Scream Fest.

The Beta will be exclusive to Steam VR users through the game’s STEAM STORE PAGE.

Earlier this year, EVENTS AT UNITY FARM was nominated for an UBISOFT Indie Series Award.  The company also launched a Film and TV with several projects in active development, including PEACE RIVER, which draws inspiration from EVENTS AT UNITY FARM and the dynamic BIPOC women of the Bowie family.


About TITAN1STUDIOS

Founded in 2016, TITAN1STUDIOS is an award-winning Cross-Media Content & Technology Studio specializing in Original IP.

The studio embraces diversity and representation across all facets of the creative process, which is reflected in our executives, artists and technology talent.

While our stories span the far reaches of time and space, our themes often hit much closer to home with a key emphasis on family, identity, mental health, and building a better tomorrow.

Our initial wave of comics and graphic novels included the KNIGHT GUARDIANS OF RELATIVITY and the all-ages hit ZOMBEN, properties that served as a bedrock of two separate and distinct universes: the Relativity Universe and the Multipocalypse Universe. The studio has since added a third universe, the Coseema Saga, based on our popular YA novel series.  All three offer unique world-building genre fair with cross-generational appeal and visually arresting artwork.

Our slate of projects include IPs in TV/Film, Animation, Gaming, Publishing, and the Metaverse.