We’ve previously talked about how Los Angeles is slowly but surely becoming the place for digital studios to emerge, whether it’s for game development or for some other means of virtual occupancy. Now, it appears that Kabam is joining the party, promising to open up a new studio after adding two more companies to its folds.
Re/code has reported that the free-to-play gaming company has acquired two gaming studios based in Los Angeles, TapZen and Magic Pixel. With these pick-ups, the company is set to open up a new Los Angeles-based studio to house them both, and get to work on new projects.
With the opening of this office, which will be closer to Culver City but still close enough to Los Angeles’ business district, Kabam continues to show its interest in the area, already working with a number of movie studios on big name franchises, including The Fast and the Furious and The Hobbit – both which continue to be quite relevant with new movie releases either in theaters (The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies) or headed that way (Furious 7).
Both of the studios acquired are small but steady when it comes to business. TapZen previously only worked on one game, the 2014 release This Means War, although it’s gained a fair amount of popularity since its release. Magic Pixel’s been around for a little while longer, working on a number of independent PlayStation titles, as well as the mobile game Stick To It.
This Means War has managed to stay in the top 250 grossing apps across various countries for both iOS and Android, but Magic Pixel’s success hasn’t been so great, as its latest release, the card battle game Outcast Odyssey, only stayed in the top 250 for a short while.
As part of the deal, TapZen CEO and former Zynga chief creative officer Mike Verdu will join Kabam’s team of executives, although his specific role hasn’t been named just yet. However, Kent Wakeford, the chief operating officer for Kabam, told VentureBeat, “On the one hand, we are striving for leadership. Mike Verdu is one of the industry’s greats. He has had success in console games, social and now mobile. Those are rare people who have made that successful transition.”
Wakeford added, “We have had success in working with Hollywood studios, translating their iconic intellectual properties to mobile. So for us, building an office with senior leadership on the ground in the heart of the entertainment capital is important.”
Verdu had plenty to say as well. “Joining Kabam was an opportunity we could not pass up,” he said in a released statement. “I’ve been impressed at how Kabam has quickly become a leader in the free-to-play games space, and I look forward to helping the team drive the evolution of mobile games into the next generation.”
Magic Pixel’s co-founder Michael Seegers added, “Kabam has a proven track record of bringing awesome strategy games to global audiences. We are thrilled to become a part of their team and bring our talents to an even bigger stage.”
This will no doubt make Los Angeles an even more likely city to thrive with digital content and game releases. Congrats to all involved!
