Starbreeze AB :STARBREEZE and Smilegate in long term strategic partnership
(Thomson Reuters ONE) -
Smilegate invests 40 MUSD in Starbreeze, Starbreeze to develop an all-new co-op
game of the CROSSFIRE franchise and Starbreeze titles to be published in Asia.
* The leading Korean game company Smilegate has undertaken to invest a total
of 40 MUSD.
* Starbreeze receives a 10 year right to develop, publish and distribute an
all-new first person co-op game on Smilegate's CROSSFIRE franchise for
western markets. CROSSFIRE is the world's largest grossing online first-
person-shooter (FPS) game with 500 million users.
* Starbreeze receives distribution rights on the Smilegate platform, and will
launch PAYDAY 2 and OVERKILL's The Walking Dead on Asian markets via the
platform.
"The Eastern entertainment market has been an enigma for western game developers
and vice versa. This in-depth collaboration uniquely positions Starbreeze and
Smilegate to bridge the gap between the two markets. Starbreeze gains an
extraordinary market position for our present and future products," said Bo
Andersson Klint, Starbreeze CEO.
Starbreeze to create premium co-op PC FPS game based on the CROSSFIRE franchise
Starbreeze will develop an all new premium first-person-shooter (FPS) co-op game
for PC based on Smilegate's CROSSFIRE franchise, aimed to attract western gamers
in particular.
Starbreeze will leverage its knowledge and expertise to create a game that can
be further expanded over time to attract long term interest from players. The
new game will be based on Starbreeze's game engine Valhalla. The game's release
date will be announced at a later date.
Joon Ho Sung, CIO of Smilegate Group, said: "Asian, European and US gamers have
a lot to look forward to as a result of this collaboration. The aim for both of
us is to bring the best from our home markets to new audiences. With its
impressive PAYDAY track record, Starbreeze is an ideal partner for bringing the
CROSSFIRE franchise to western markets and new titles to our home markets. This
is a long term strategic partnership for us."
The original CROSSFIRE franchise has more than 500 million users with six
million concurrent players and is one of the top grossing online games
worldwide, generating over 1,300 MUSD in sales during 2014, of which a large
part is originating from China. The first-person-shooter (FPS) game applies a
free-to-play model.
Expanding and attracting further interest to the franchise, the CROSSFIRE movie
will premiere in three to five years with "Fast and the Furious" producer Neal
Moritz as the movie creator. The movie will represent a valuable marketing
opportunity for Starbreeze all new CROSSFIRE title.
Distribution in the Asian market
As part of the strategic partnership, Starbreeze receives distribution rights on
the Smilegate platform, enabling it to distribute its titles, including PAYDAY
2 and OVERKILL's The Walking Dead, in Asia.
OVERKILL's The Walking Dead will be expanded with more content where an Asian
version will be developed for simultaneous launch with the western version. To
maximize the new opportunities, Starbreeze, 505 Games and Skybound have decided
to release the game in all markets during the second half of 2017. The partners
are convinced this will pave the way to success and cement it as a tent pole
product for the next decade to come.
"What the Starbreeze team has achieved in the last few years is amazing. This
partnership with Smilegate with an upfront cash injection secures our plans,
opens new markets and proves yet again that we have an expansive and ambitious
business plan focusing on creating long term value. This deal creates a new
paradigm for independent developers in the digital market that we are excited to
pioneer," said Michael Hjorth, Starbreeze Chairman of the Board.
Extraordinary General Meeting on February 22
Starbreeze has decided to call an Extraordinary General Meeting to be held on
22 February 2016 in order to resolve on the equity issues.
At the meeting, a representative from Smilegate will be proposed as new member
of the Board. The proposed will be presented well in advance of the General
Meeting.
###
Media information
A press release adapted for the financial markets have additionally been
released today, it's available on the corporate website www.starbreeze.com
Press kit for Starbreeze and Smilegate can be found on
www.starbreeze.com/presskit
For more information, please contact:
Maeva Sponbergs, Investor Relations, Starbreeze AB
Tel: +46(0)8-209 208, email: ir(at)starbreeze.com
Kay Lee, Director of Public Relations, Smilegate Group
Tel: +82 31 600 8283 email: hklee(at)smilegate.com
About Starbreeze
Starbreeze AB is an independent creator, publisher and distributor of high
quality entertainment products. With studios in Stockholm, Paris and Los
Angeles, the company creates games by own design and through licensed content,
aiming to create franchises that prosper as games and elsewhere. We live and die
by gameplay.
Starbreeze's most recent games include PAYDAY 2, the adrenaline fueled bank
robbing co-op game and the upcoming survival co-op FPS OVERKILL's The Walking
Dead based on the hit comic series. Starbreeze is pioneering digital self-
publishing, inviting developers to leverage its self-publishing knowhow on
Steam, having one of the largest communities on the digital distribution
platform.
Next, Starbreeze is set to develop truly immersive virtual reality experiences,
integrating software and hardware in the Project StarVR and the StarVR head
mounted display.
Headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, Starbreeze's shares are listed on Nasdaq
Stockholm First North Premier under the tickers STAR A and STAR B with the ISIN-
codes SE0007158928 (A-share) and SE0005992831 (B-share). Remium Nordic is the
company's Certified Adviser.
For more information, please visit http://www.starbreeze.com.
About Smilegate - Creators of CROSSFIRE
Smilegate is the game company behind CROSSFIRE, one of the most played first-
person-shooter games with over 500 million users and six million concurrent
players across the globe. CROSSFIRE is currently serviced in 80 countries
throughout Asia, Europe, South and North American regions.
Smilegate invests heavily in companies that show potential and encourage
partnership. This approach not only creates a robust, sustainable corporate
structure, but also broadens the ability to provide industry leading level of
entertainment and service.
At Smilegate, the passion for digital entertainment is key to provide world-
class gaming entertainment. By working with partners, Smilegate continuously
strives to serve players with quality content.
Founded in 2002, Smilegate has increased its annual revenue by over double for
the past five years. With regional offices in the U.S., China and Southeast
Asia, the company is well positioned for global growth as it expands its
business areas from software development to publishing and investment. Total
revenue for 2014 was approximately 531 billion KRW (approx. 425 MUSD, based on
consolidated revenues), and 90 percent of the revenue was generated from global
export and distribution of the company's digital gaming contents.
This announcement is distributed by GlobeNewswire on behalf of
GlobeNewswire clients. The owner of this announcement warrants that:
(i) the releases contained herein are protected by copyright and
other applicable laws; and
(ii) they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and
originality of the information contained therein.
Source: Starbreeze AB via GlobeNewswire
[HUG#1980345]
Unternehmensinformation / Kurzprofil:
Datum: 21.01.2016 - 08:27 Uhr
Sprache: Deutsch
News-ID 445585
Anzahl Zeichen: 8581
contact information:
Town:
Stockholm
Kategorie:
Business News
Diese Pressemitteilung wurde bisher 190 mal aufgerufen.
Die Pressemitteilung mit dem Titel:
"Starbreeze AB :STARBREEZE and Smilegate in long term strategic partnership"
steht unter der journalistisch-redaktionellen Verantwortung von
Starbreeze AB (Nachricht senden)
Beachten Sie bitte die weiteren Informationen zum Haftungsauschluß (gemäß TMG - TeleMedianGesetz) und dem Datenschutz (gemäß der DSGVO).
