Former WME-IMG executive Tobias Sherman, backed by seed funding from MGM Resorts International (MGM), has launched Foundry IV; a studio that intends on developing games with “esports prioritized at the earliest DNA.” That philosophy differs from industry norms, which tends to see publishers use competition as a method of marketing their games. Sherman, who previously lead the esports department at WME-IMG and helped to co-found the ELeague, will act as the company’s CEO. Foundry IV is raising a Series A round, with professional sports leagues said to be invested.
Howie Long-Short: Take-Two Interactive (TTWO) reported Q2 revenue figures that beat market estimates ($577 million to $511.3 million) and the company raised full-year adjusted revenue forecasts (from $1.65 billion to $1.93 billion), as sales have been strong for both NBA2K ’18 and Grand Theft Auto 5. TTWO also reported a 31% YOY increase (to $303 million) in digitally delivered net revenue and said that it expects to record net bookings in fiscal ‘19. Shares rose 10.58% following Wednesday’s news.
Fan Marino: Activision Blizzard’s (ATVI) Call of Duty: WWII generated $500M in sales over its first 3 days on the market; while setting a day 1 record for full-game downloads on PS4. The new game sold twice as many copies as last year’s Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare did during the first weekend; which would seem to indicate that gamers are not yet tired of the 15-year old franchise. That’s good news for esports franchise owners. I’ve had difficulty envisioning scenarios in which games could remain popular over an extended period. Perhaps my concerns are overblown.
Former WME|IMG executive Tobias Sherman creates game studio Foundry IV
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