Press Release: Scopely to Acquire FoxNext Games from The Walt Disney Company
Scopely to Acquire FoxNext Games from The Walt Disney Company
Acquisition brings top-grossing mobile game MARVEL Strike Force to Scopely's diverse portfolio
LOS ANGELES & BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--January 22, 2020--
Scopely, a leading company in the fast-growing mobile games space, and The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) today announced that Scopely has agreed to acquire FoxNext Games Los Angeles, the game studio behind the blockbuster hit MARVEL Strike Force, and Cold Iron Studios in San Jose from Disney.
The acquisition will add another top-grossing game to Scopely's live service portfolio, expand its in-development pipeline, and bring a highly experienced team to Scopely's business. FoxNext Games Los Angeles released its debut title MARVEL Strike Force in March 2018 and it has become one of the top mobile games on iOS and Android, bringing in more than $150 million in its first year. The studio is also developing Avatar: Pandora Rising, a massively multiplayer strategy game based on James Cameron's Avatar. The acquisition does not include the separate portfolio of Fox IP licensed games titles, which will continue to be a part of Disney's licensed games business. Disney acquired the FoxNext Games vertical game studios and licensed games titles in its 2019 acquisition of 21st Century Fox.
"We have been hugely impressed with the incredible game the team at FoxNext Games has built with MARVEL Strike Force and can't wait to see what more we can do together," said Tim O'Brien, Chief Revenue Officer at Scopely. "In addition to successfully growing our existing business, we have been bullish on further expanding our portfolio through M&A, and FoxNext Games' player-first product approach aligns perfectly with our focus on delivering unforgettable game experiences. We are thrilled to combine forces with their world-class team and look forward to a big future together."
"I'm extremely proud of what our talented team at FoxNext Games has built and accomplished in just a few years, and look forward to joining forces with the impressive team at Scopely, who have a well-deserved reputation as one of the preeminent companies in the free-to-play games arena," said Aaron Loeb, FoxNext Games President. Added Amir Rahimi, FoxNext Games Senior Vice President & General Manager: "Both FoxNext Games and Scopely are committed to bringing beloved worlds to life through interactive gaming experiences designed to be played for years to come, and we believe this shared focus, coupled with our businesses' unique strengths and Scopely's expertise across multiple game genres, will lead to even greater success in the future." Upon completion of the transaction, Loeb will join Scopely in a newly created executive role and Rahimi will lead the FoxNext Games Los Angeles studio within Scopely as President, Games.
The acquisition agreement follows a number of recent milestones for Scopely including the achievement of more than $1 billion in lifetime revenue last summer, the acquisition of DIGIT Game Studios and global expansion across Europe, Asia and North America.
LionTree Advisors is acting as financial advisor to Disney, with Moelis & Company acting as financial advisor to Scopely.
About Scopely
Scopely is a global interactive entertainment and mobile games company, home to many top-grossing, award-winning franchises including Star Trek(TM) Fleet Command, Looney Tunes(TM) World of Mayhem, WWE Champions, The Walking Dead: Road To Survival(TM), YAHTZEE(R) With Buddies and Wheel of Fortune(R): Free Play, among others. Scopely creates, publishes and live operates immersive games that empower a directed-by-consumer experience. Founded in 2011, Scopely is fueled by a world-class team and a proprietary technology platform that supports one of the most diversified portfolios in the West. Recognized in Fast Company's 'World's Most Innovative Companies' and #2 on Deloitte's 'Technology Fast 500' as one of the fastest-growing companies in North America, Scopely has achieved more than $1 billion in lifetime revenue by creating long-lasting game experiences. Scopely has global operations in Los Angeles, Barcelona, Boulder, Dublin (DIGIT Games Studios), London and Tokyo, with additional studios in seven countries across four continents. For more information, visit www.scopely.com.
About The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company, together with its subsidiaries, is a diversified worldwide entertainment company with operations in four business segments: Media Networks; Parks, Experiences and Products; Studio Entertainment; and Direct-to-Consumer and International. Disney is a Dow 30 company and had annual revenues of $69.6 billion in its Fiscal Year 2019.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements and information in this communication may be deemed to be "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Federal Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may include, but are not limited to, statements relating to future business performance or developments and all statements (other than statements of historical facts) that address events or developments that management believes will or may occur in the future. These statements are often characterized by terminology such as "will," or "believe," and similar expressions. Any forward-looking statements in this communication are made as of the date hereof, and Scopely and Disney undertake no duty to update or revise any such statements. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. Whether actual results will conform to expectations and predictions is subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties, including: general economic, market, or business conditions; the ability to realize anticipated benefits of the transaction; the potential impact of the consummation of the transaction on relationships; and other circumstances beyond management's control.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200122005654/en/
CONTACT:
Media Contacts:
Scopely:
Brittany Geldmacher
Corporate Communications
bgeldmacher@scopely.com
The Walt Disney Company:
David Jefferson
Corporate Communications
(818) 560-4832
david.j.jefferson@disney.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
January 22, 2020 12:30 ET (17:30 GMT)
新聞稿:華特迪士尼公司收購FoxNext遊戲
華特迪士尼公司收購FoxNext遊戲
收購給Scopely多樣化的投資組合帶來了最賣座的移動遊戲漫威打擊力
洛杉磯和伯班克,加利福尼亞州
Scopely是快速增長的移動遊戲領域的領先公司,沃特迪士尼公司(紐約證券交易所市場代碼:dis)今天宣佈,Scopely已經同意收購FoxNext Games洛杉磯,這是大片“漫威打擊力量”(Marvel Strike Force)背後的遊戲工作室,以及迪士尼在聖何塞的冷鐵工作室。
此次收購將為Scopely的實時服務組合增添另一款最賣座的遊戲,擴大其開發管道,併為Scopely的業務帶來一支經驗豐富的團隊。2018年3月,洛杉磯富士康遊戲公司(FoxNext Games)發佈了首個名為“漫威打擊力”(Marvel Strike Force)的遊戲,該遊戲已成為iOS和Android上最熱門的移動遊戲之一,在第一年就帶來了工作室還在開發“阿凡達:潘多拉崛起”,這是一款基於詹姆斯·卡梅隆的“阿凡達”的大規模多人戰略遊戲。此次收購不包括福克斯IP授權遊戲的單獨組合,這些遊戲將繼續成為迪士尼授權遊戲業務的一部分。迪士尼在2019年收購21世紀福克斯時,收購了FoxNext遊戲垂直遊戲工作室,並獲得了遊戲授權。
Scopely首席收入官蒂姆·奧布賴恩(Tim O‘Brien)表示:“我們對富士康(FoxNext)的團隊與漫威打擊力(Marvel Strike Force)打造的令人難以置信的遊戲印象深刻,迫不及待地想知道我們還能一起做些什麼。”“除了成功地擴大現有業務外,我們還看好通過併購進一步擴大我們的投資組合,而FoxNext Games的Player--First Producer--與我們專注於提供令人難忘的遊戲體驗完全一致。我們很高興能與他們的世界級團隊攜手並進,共同展望一個美好的未來。”
FOXNext遊戲總裁艾倫·勒布(Aaron Loeb)表示:“我對我們在FoxNext遊戲公司的天才團隊在短短几年內所建立和取得的成就感到非常自豪,並期待着與令人印象深刻的Scopely團隊攜手合作,他們作為自由遊戲領域中最傑出的公司之一,理應享有良好的聲譽。”FoxNext遊戲高級副總裁兼總經理Amir Rahimi補充説:“FoxNext遊戲公司和Scopely公司都致力於通過設計在未來幾年內進行的互動遊戲體驗,將心愛的世界帶入生活,我們相信,這種共同的關注,再加上我們的業務的獨特優勢和Scopely在多種遊戲類型中的專業知識,將在未來帶來更大的成功。”交易完成後,Loeb將加入Scopely公司,擔任新設的執行職務,Rahimi將作為Scopely公司的總裁領導FoxNextGames洛杉磯工作室。
在達成收購協議之前,Scopely最近取得了一系列里程碑,包括去年夏天實現了逾10億美元的終身收入,收購了數字遊戲工作室,以及在歐洲、亞洲和北美進行了全球擴張。
LionTree Advisors是迪斯尼的財務顧問,Moelis&Company是Scopely的財務顧問。
關於Scopely
Scopely是一家全球互動娛樂和移動遊戲公司,擁有許多收入最高、獲獎的遊戲公司,包括“星際迷航”(TM)艦隊司令部、魯尼·圖尼斯(商標)世界大混亂、WWE冠軍、“行屍走肉:生存之路”(TM)、“Yahtzee”(註冊商標)和“財富之輪”(註冊商標):免費遊戲等等。Scopely創建,出版和現場操作沉浸式遊戲,賦予直接的消費者體驗.Scopely成立於2011年,是由一個世界級的團隊和一個支持西方最多樣化投資組合之一的專有技術平台推動的。Scopely在FastCompany的“世界上最具創新能力的公司”和德勤(Deloitte)的“技術快速500”(TechnologyFast500)第二名中被公認為北美增長最快的公司之一,通過創造持久的遊戲體驗,Scopely已經實現了超過10億美元的終生收入。Scopely在洛杉磯、巴塞羅那、博爾德、都柏林(數字遊戲工作室)、倫敦和東京擁有全球業務,在四大洲的七個國家有更多的工作室。欲瞭解更多信息,請訪問www.specely.com。
關於華特迪士尼公司
華特迪士尼公司及其子公司是一家多元化的全球娛樂公司,在四個業務部門開展業務:媒體網絡;公園、體驗和產品;演播室娛樂;以及直接對消費者和國際。迪士尼是道瓊30指數(Dow30)的一家公司,2019年財政年度的年收入為696億美元。
前瞻性陳述
本來文中的某些陳述和信息可視為1995年“聯邦私人證券訴訟改革法”意義上的“前瞻性陳述”。前瞻性陳述可能包括但不限於與未來業務業績或發展有關的陳述,以及所有涉及管理層相信或可能在未來發生的事件或事態發展的陳述(歷史事實陳述除外)。這些陳述的特點往往是諸如“意志”或“相信”等術語,以及類似的表達方式。本函文中的任何前瞻性陳述都是在此日期作出的,Scopely和Disney不承擔更新或修改任何此類聲明的責任。前瞻性聲明並不能保證未來的業績。實際結果是否符合預期和預測取決於已知和未知的風險和不確定因素,包括:一般經濟、市場或業務狀況;實現交易預期效益的能力;完成交易對關係的潛在影響;以及管理層無法控制的其他情況。
查看businesswire.com上的源代碼版本:https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200122005654/en/
聯繫人:
媒體聯繫人:
司空見慣:
布列塔尼
公司通信
bgeldmacher@specely.com
華特迪士尼公司:
大衞·傑斐遜
公司通信
(818) 560-4832
david.j.jefferson@disney.com
(完)道瓊斯通訊社
2020年1月22日12:30(格林尼治時間17:30)