OUTPLAY Entertainment, a start-up games publisher focusing on high-quality games for social and mobile platforms, launched today and announced that it is recruiting staff for its new UK headquarters.
Says a spokesperson: “Founded by games industry ‘veterans’, Douglas Hare and Richard Hare (The Collective, Foundation 9 Entertainment), Outplay’s primary focus is on providing consumers with high-quality, engaging, and, above all, fun experiences that can be accessed and played across the ecosystem of rapidly expanding social networks and the new generation of powerful, connected mobile platforms, exemplified by Apple’s iPhone.”
Outplay will be headquartered in Dundee, Scotland, one of the world’s hotspots of gaming talent and creativity.
The company has been backed by Pentech Ventures, a leading venture fund in the digital media market, and the Scottish Investment Bank’s Co-investment Fund, providing Outplay with the resources and capital required for rapid expansion and the global reach required to meet the needs of this new generation of gamers.
Douglas Hare, co-founder and chief executive officer of Outplay, said: “The global games market is changing in a very fundamental but extremely positive way. Over a very short period of time, the number of people playing games has exploded and many of those players are demanding that gaming fits into the rest of their lives, whether that means on their mobile devices or as part of their favourite social network.”
“Gaming is reaching players all over the world, regardless of the hardware they use, or when and where they want to play. Outplay was founded to cater to this rapidly expanding global audience by taking lessons learned by the games industry over the last three decades and applying them to these new connected, interactive experiences as more and more people around the world discover the joys of gaming.”
Richard Hare, co-founder and president of Outplay, agreed: “There are significant advantages to creating and publishing on social network and mobile platforms. Shorter, more-focused development cycles help constrain the upfront investment required.
“The ability to then rapidly update the games based on measurable consumer response helps us attract and retain players by enhancing and updating the games’ features. By investing in the right skills and focusing our publishing efforts on these new platforms and opportunities, Outplay is poised to become a significant player in the global games market.”
Eddie Anderson, the founding partner of Pentech Ventures, added: “The recent growth and evolution of the global gaming market opens up a wealth of new possibilities and creates compelling new opportunities for games companies which understand the various new markets, business models, territories and routes to market.
“In Douglas and Richard, Outplay Entertainment has an outstanding management team with which to address these new markets and who can combine the creativity and passion demanded within the entertainment sector, with the business insight to reach these new audiences and maximise the company’s reach as the sector continues to expand.”
Andrew Sloane, head of the Scottish Investment Bank’s Co-investment Fund, said: “Digital technologies are now changing the way the games industry both creates content and makes it available. Scotland is at the forefront of this change, with new companies like Outplay Entertainment creating the next generation of success stories.
“We are delighted to support this exciting new venture through the Scottish Co-Investment Fund alongside our longstanding partner Pentech Ventures. We look forward to seeing the company go from strength to strength in this fast-moving emerging new market.”
ENDS
Background:
Douglas and Richard Hare are available for interview on this announcement. Please contact Brian Baglow at Revolver PR on 07747 792247 for interview requests.
More information on Outplay Entertainment can be found online: www.outplayentertainment.com
About Outplay Entertainment
Headquartered in Dundee, the ‘digital capital of Scotland’, Outplay is focused on developing games for rapidly expanding online gaming platforms – such as Facebook – and the new generation of connected mobile devices, which are introducing gaming to an ever-increasing global audience.
Founded in 2010 by industry veterans, Douglas and Richard Hare, Outplay brings a wealth of experience to the rapidly evolving world of social and mobile games.
Both brothers have over 25 years of experience in the videogames industry.
Having started their professional careers in the mid-80s, they moved to Orange County, California in the 90s to work at Virgin Interactive.
Along with colleague and friend, Gary Priest, they left Virgin In 1997 to found their first independent development studio, The Collective.
The Collective developed numerous high profile titles including Star Wars: Episode III, Indiana Jones and the Emperor’s Tomb, and Marc Ecko’s Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure.
In 2005, The Collective merged with Backbone Entertainment, to form Foundation 9 Entertainment.
With Douglas and Richard as key members of the senior management team, Foundation 9 went on to secure a significant investment from a large Private Equity company in 2006 and subsequently grew to become one of the largest independent developers in the world, with over 800 personnel in 11 studios on three continents.
About Pentech Ventures
Since its inception in 2001, Pentech Ventures has invested in young as well as established software companies which are headquartered in the UK and Ireland. Investments include companies developing and marketing enterprise software, SaaS solutions and internet technologies, working in applications ranging from digital media, eCommerce, social gaming and mobile advertising to software protection and software verification.
The Pentech Partners and Advisory Group Members have gained considerable experience in starting, developing and exiting software businesses, both in Europe and in the US. Pentech utilises the wide experience of the team, together with our international network of industry contacts, to identify software opportunities with global potential, and to work with these companies to realize that potential.
The Pentech Fund is managed by Pentech Ventures LLP, and numbers the European Investment Fund amongst its investors. Pentech Ventures is regulated by the FSA. For further information, see www.pentechvc.com
About the Scottish Investment Bank
The Scottish Investment Bank is a division of Scottish Enterprise which operates Scotland-wide, in partnership with Highlands and Islands Enterprise. It operates a suite of investment funds including; The Scottish Seed, the Scottish Co-investment and the Scottish Venture Fund to support Scotland’s SME funding market to ensure that businesses with growth and export potential have adequate access to growth capital.
Media contact:
Brian Baglow: 0845 130 8992 / 07747 792247
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