CLIENT: DOVETAIL GAMES, MATTEL
Launching the new Thomas & Friends™ game into Japan
Thomas & Friends is one of the most recognisable family entertainment brands in the world, beloved across generations for its iconic characters and storytelling.
In collaboration with Mattel, Inc., Dovetail Games brought this globally recognised brand into interactive entertainment with Thomas & Friends™: Wonders of Sodor, a standalone narrative adventure experience.
Launching across PC and console platforms, the title invites players to explore the island of Sodor alongside Thomas and his friends, bringing familiar locations and journeys to life in a new, immersive format.
Oval Branding supported the launch of the game in Japan.
Public Relations
Japanese Localisation
Social Media Management
Influencer Marketing
Advertising
Japanese Website
New Japanese Website Design
Public Relations
To support the launch, a targeted PR campaign was executed in Japan, including one press release and two media alerts distributed to key gaming and entertainment outlets.
The announcement secured widespread coverage across major Japanese game media, highlighting the strong recognition of the Thomas & Friends brand in the market. Coverage from Famitsu delivered particularly strong engagement, generating over 8.2 million views, 20,000 likes, and 3,400 bookmarks on its X post. Audience responses frequently referenced nostalgia, with many users commenting that they “grew up with Thomas,” reflecting a highly positive sentiment overall.
Media momentum continued post-announcement, with the title featured multiple times in X’s news section.
Overall, the PR activity demonstrated strong media pickup and sustained audience engagement, driven by the enduring appeal of the brand in Japan.
Social Media Management
Social media activity on X played a key role in building anticipation ahead of launch. Through consistent posting on Dovetail Games’ official account, including trailers and screenshots, audience interest was effectively nurtured in the lead-up to release, resulting in a significant increase in follower growth and over 214K total views.
In addition, the title was featured across multiple major game media accounts on X, further amplifying visibility and driving broader awareness within the platform.
Japanese X Post with 56k Views
Influencer Marketing
Influencer activity played a key role in expanding reach on video platforms, with over 109 pieces of content related to the campaign published across YouTube, Twitch, and Niconico (Niconico, a popular Japanese video platform), including both partnered and organic posts.
This included high-profile creators such as Usada Pekora (2.77 million subscribers) and gaming YouTuber Housan (525K subscribers), helping to further amplify reach and visibility.
In total, this content generated more than 3.5 million views, demonstrating strong audience interest and contributing to broader awareness across the gaming community.
Value Delivered
Oval Branding successfully leveraged the strong brand recognition of Thomas & Friends to drive widespread awareness and engagement in the Japanese market through an integrated PR, social media, and influencer strategy.
The campaign secured extensive coverage across major Japanese game media, alongside high-performing social media exposure on X, generating millions of views and strong audience engagement driven by nostalgia and brand familiarity.
Influencer activity further amplified reach, with over 100 pieces of video content published across key platforms, including YouTube, Twitch, and Niconico, resulting in more than 3.5 million views and sustained visibility within the gaming community.
At key milestones such as the announcement and launch, Oval Branding conducted ongoing social listening and reported back to the client on player sentiment and feedback, providing valuable insights into how Japanese audiences perceive the Thomas IP and its cultural context.
In addition, Oval Branding supported website development and provided localisation recommendations, helping to optimise the experience for Japanese users and contribute to stronger commercial performance.
Through this multi-channel approach, Oval Branding enabled Dovetail Games to effectively connect with Japanese audiences, strengthening brand presence and introducing the title to both existing fans and new players.