Global kick-off for Chinese-made soccer animation TV series

With the World Cup just weeks away, Gordon Chin is particularly excited as the event also marks the big kick-off for his company's new children's soccer animation television series, AI Football GGO.

The series will be shown in over 40 countries - a record for a Chinese-made children's animation series - and Chin is still in negotiations with another 20 to 30 countries. It will also appear on over 80 channels on the mainland.

Next month the series will premiere in South Africa on the e.tv channel that will broadcast the World Cup.

'It's World Cup year and many countries are looking for an animation series for kids that has to do with football. We've been working on this project for over two years and planned to launch it during the World Cup,' Chin said. 'Our timing has been perfect and we are reaping the benefits. The closer we get to the World Cup the more countries are signing up.'

AI Football GGO stands for 'Artificial Intelligence Football Go Goal Ole' and will be dubbed into at least eight different languages. It follows a club side through national and regional qualifying until it gets to the World Club Championships. All the sides use artificial intelligence to improve their chances of victory.

'We did not want to make the story too localised because we wanted to sell it to a world audience,' Chin said.

It's very much a family business. Chin's father, Yiu-tong, is the managing director of M & C Toys and has been in the toy business for over 30 years in Hong Kong. Five years ago Chin decided to branch out and start his own animation company, Puzzle Animation, which is based in Shenzhen.