Skybound Leisure, the multiplatform studio behind world franchises like The Strolling Lifeless and tons of of extra IP, introduced the acquisition of Maple Media from Shamrock Capital.
Maple Media is a frontrunner in cellular app publishing and boasts a various portfolio of “Top 10” apps throughout productiveness, leisure, and life-style classes which has generated over 600 million lifetime downloads.
The acquisition worth was not disclosed.
Acquisitions have gotten the norm in gaming. However that is the sort of factor you are able to do in case you personal The Strolling Lifeless franchise, which debuted as a comic book e-book by creator Robert Kirkman in 2003. It’s the most profitable unique leisure franchise created this century, in accordance Hernan Lopez, founding father of Owl & Co. Skybound additionally owns Impression Winter and Invincible.
The video games alone have generated greater than $1 billion in revenues, and the Netlix present drew 1.3 billion viewing hours in 2023, Lopez stated in an interview with GamesBeat. And through that yr it was the third-most watched TV collection — 13 years after the TV present launched. In 2010, Kirkman began Skybound Leisure with David Alpert.
The Strolling Lifeless is the monster of leisure IP.
This acquisition enhances Skybound’s attain by including Maple Media’s secure, recurring income and subscriber base, proprietary app administration know-how, and direct relationships with shoppers. Maple Media’s apps and companies are an integral a part of tens of millions of person’s month-to-month routines for getting issues accomplished and having enjoyable, which extends Skybound’s viewers, client attain and engagement.
Moreover, partnering with Maple Media facilitates a direct relationship between Skybound and shoppers, enhancing Skybound’s means to carry unimaginable content material immediately from creators to followers.
Maple Media’s experience in cellular app operations and optimization helps Skybound’s mission to ship compelling tales throughout each platform and medium, from comics and video games to tv, cellular gadgets and past.
“Bringing Maple Media into the Skybound universe is a game-changer,” stated David Alpert, CEO of Skybound Leisure, in an announcement. “This enables us to fluidly connect our great IP directly to our audience. We look forward to building and expanding these opportunities with Michael Ritter, Founder and CEO, David Bos, COO, and the rest of the Maple Media team, as the partnership strengthens our ability to connect content directly to audiences like never before. Together, we’re unlocking new ways to deliver for our creators and fans while staying true to our mission of putting them first.”
By integrating Maple Media’s workforce, skilled leisure trade executives, and its sturdy suite of instruments, Skybound is positioned to scale its cellular presence whereas exploring new leisure purposes, leveraging Maple Media’s podcast, recreation, and content material distribution capabilities, amongst others.
“We’re thrilled to join the Skybound Entertainment family and bring our expertise in mobile apps to a company that shares our passion for engaging and meaningful content,” stated Michael Ritter, CEO and founding father of Maple Media, in an announcement. “This partnership not only strengthens Maple Media’s ability to scale and innovate but also opens up exciting new opportunities to integrate Skybound’s iconic IP into the mobile space. Together, we look forward to creating unique, impactful experiences for millions of users worldwide.”
Skybound is the creator-driven, fan-focused firm behind landmark world franchises like The Strolling Lifeless, Invincible, Impression Winter and tons of extra IPs which can be redefining leisure by way of its Wheel of Superior enterprise mannequin.
Skybound unlocks the distinctive alternative to domesticate all elements of a franchise from growth by way of distribution; our IP connects with audiences by way of groundbreaking tales informed on a grand scale. We empower our creators to immediately increase their IP and switch their concepts into films, TV reveals, tabletop video games, comics, podcasts, collectibles, video video games, or the entire above after which some.
Shamrock Capital is a Los Angeles-based funding agency with roughly $6.4 billion of property below administration. Shamrock Capital invests completely in media, leisure, communications, and associated sectors by way of a multi-fund technique centered on personal fairness investments, in addition to possession and financing of content material and media rights. The agency was initially based in 1978 because the household funding firm for the late Roy E. Disney and has since advanced into an institutionally backed agency with a number one group of buyers, together with endowments, foundations, and sovereign wealth and pension funds.
Disclosure: I’ve household working at Skybound.
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