North Carolina-based game studio and technology provider, Icarus Studios, and Silicon Valley-based game studio, Zabu Studio, today announced a signed agreement to combine the two companies to create MFV, majority owned by leading entertainment conglomerate, National Entertainment Collectibles Association (NECA). The merger forms the world’s most innovative development studio dedicated to combining physical merchandise with interactive technology on new platforms.
As a result of the merger and combination of both studios’ seasoned teams with NECA/WizKids’ extensive catalog of intellectual properties, MFV’s portfolio, assets and capabilities position the new company to lead the way in the growing market integrating physical products with interactive content.
Icarus Studios, led by games veteran Phil Hall, CEO, has developed and published several leading MMO, social and mobile games since 2001, including the award-winning MMO, Fallen Earth, acquired in 2011 by K2 Network, using the studios’ proprietary game engine and tool suite, the xScape Platform.
Zabu Studio, founded in 2010 by industry veterans, led by CEO Milton Soong, specializes in next-generation social and mobile games, taking well-known board and card games from the physical world to the digital.
‘The formation of MFV creates a very strong alliance, combining a veteran team with cutting edge technology and intellectual property licenses,’ said Soong, CEO at MFV. ‘MFV is ready to take gaming into new directions, focusing on physical product tie-ins, emerging technology and cross platform integration.’
In addition to NECA’s diverse gamut of licenses, WizKids Games, also majority owned by NECA and led by Justin Ziran, President, provides further properties, with popular hobby games such as HeroClix, Quarriors! and MageKnight.
MFV will continue operations in their California office, with headquarters in Cary, North Carolina. The company’s first announced project is HeroClix TabApp, an extension of the HeroClix Online platform designed specifically for iPad.