iWorld
New exclusives ‘Ponpu’ and Yuppie Psycho’ hit Crunchyroll Game Vault
Mumbai– Crunchyroll, the ultimate home for anime worldwide, is launching two new exclusive titles on Crunchyroll Game Vault—the new membership perk delivering unlimited access to premium mobile titles for Crunchyroll Mega and Ultimate Fan members. Today, Ponpu and Yuppie Psycho level up the lineup alongside an upcoming Developer Portal giving studios a direct line to the team building an incredible curated library of games for anime fans.*
Crunchyroll Game Vault gets a bit more scary and puzzling. Survival horror is on the agenda with the mobile debut of survival horror title Yuppie Psycho. Super-slick 2D action puzzler game Ponpu will also explode onto mobile devices for the first time. Both are available starting today.
“Crunchyroll Game Vault’s latest titles, coupled with the upcoming One Punch Man: World launch on January 31, mark the beginning of a tremendous year for gaming at Crunchyroll. Throughout 2024, we will work with developers to bring more games to mobile for the first time and bring new features to existing hits,” said Crunchyroll VP of emerging business & Crunchyroll Games general manager. “Our Developer Portal is another step in our commitment to working with developers eager to bring games to Crunchyroll’s fans.”
Crunchyroll’s new Developer Portal will make it easier for creators around the world to engage directly with the publishing team building Crunchyroll’s line up of curated titles especially for anime fans. Developers and publishers can submit in-progress projects, launched games, and more for consideration as part of Crunchyroll Game Vault’s growing library of games.
iWorld
Prime Video to stream Tamil thriller Exam from May 15
Seven-episode series from National Award-winner A. Sarkunam streams in India and 240-plus countries
MUMBAI: Prime Video announced on April 27th that Exam, a taut seven-episode suspense drama set against the crucible of high-stakes competitive testing, will premiere on May 15th in India and across more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.
Written and directed by A. Sarkunam, a National Award-winner, the series is produced under the Wallwatcher Films banner by the creative duo Pushkar and Gayatri, who have previously delivered Suzhal: The Vortex (both seasons) and Vadhandhi: The Fable of Velonie for the platform. Dushara Vijayan and Aditi Balan lead the cast, with Abbas in a pivotal role.
The show will stream in Tamil with dubbed versions in Telugu, Hindi, Malayalam, and Kannada, and subtitles in 15 languages, including English, a distribution sweep that underscores Prime Video’s push to globalise Indian regional content.
Nikhil Madhok, director and head of originals at Prime Video India, framed the series as both timely and commercially astute. “Exam is a very timely and relevant story that captures the emotional intensity of competitive exams and masterfully transforms it into a thrilling high-stakes drama,” he said. “We believe it is a story that will resonate deeply with millions.” Madhok noted that it was a privilege to once again collaborate with Pushkar and Gayatri following the success of Suzhal and Vadhandhi.
For Pushkar and Gayatri, the series is as much a moral reckoning as a thriller. “With Exam, we wanted to dig into ambition, injustice, and those moral crossroads that people face when pushed to the edge,” the creative producers said. “At the heart of this story is a young woman who refuses to remain powerless. Her journey is not about glamorising defiance, but about exploring the emotional and ethical cost of standing up to a system stacked against her.” They described Prime Video as “an incredible collaborator” and “the perfect home” to bring the series to global audiences.
Wallwatcher Films, which Pushkar and Gayatri founded and run, has been on a productive streak with the platform. Beyond Exam, the company is also readying Vadhandhi Season 2 for Prime Video, making the duo one of the platform’s most active regional creative partners.
The real exam, it seems, is for Prime Video itself: can a Tamil drama about systemic injustice and a young woman’s defiance crack audiences from Chennai to Chicago? If Pushkar and Gayatri’s track record is anything to go by, the answer is likely yes, and the results will be out on May 15th.
