Formed from The Collective, Backbone, Pipeworks, Digital Eclipse and ImaginEngine last year, Foundation 9 Entertainment (F9E) already has over 400 developers working in sites such as Vancouver, Los Angeles and Boston (see below for the full complement). At E3, the company had more titles on the show floor than any other independent, with some 20 games on show at stands for almost every major publisher, including Sega, 2K, and Konami.<\/p>\n
The company\u2019s strengths, however, have been very much US-specific, and with its promised $150m over the next few years, CEO Jon Goldman says it\u2019s time to grow the company \u2013 with the possible stretching of F9E\u2019s wings to acquiring studios around the globe one of the objectives on his \u2018to do\u2019 list.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are of course interested in acquisitions in the US,\u201d he explained, but added: \u201cWe have a lot of contacts and friends in the UK so we\u2019re definitely interested in acquisitions there. If we were to make acquisitions in Europe we\u2019d want to do it in regions for management reasons rather than just have outposts.\u201d<\/p>\n
But any purchase won\u2019t be part of a desire for sheer scale: \u201cIt\u2019s not a gobble up everything in sight approach,\u201d said Goldman \u201cWe\u2019ll look at companies with good technology and also companies from the standpoint of profitability and what\u2019s good about their business that can grow our business.\u201d<\/p>\n
Specifically, however, he says Foundation 9 needs to fill a few genre-shaped holes in its vast portfolio. Across the nine studios and six development brands it has, the company has third-person action (The Collective\u2019s Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith and Mark Ecko\u2019s Getting Up), kids titles, handheld, PC value and even TV Plug \u2018n\u2019 Play categories sown up. A number of next-gen games are in the works (including Dirty Harry for Warner Bros.) and it produced Midway\u2019s Xbox Live Arcade titles. It also has a clear segment of its business focused on developing original IP (such as Backbone\u2019s Death Jr.) which can be \u201ccommercialised\u201d (Goldman\u2019s words) across other entertainment areas such as action figures, comics and non-interactive media. Subsequenly, F9E also has a stake in Hollywood talent company Circle of Confusion. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m very interested in the casual side of MMO \u2013 we\u2019re active in a very small way in mobile and we\u2019d be interested in an acquisition in that area,\u201d said Goldman. <\/p>\n
\u201cSports, driving, first person shooters \u2013 there are a number of areas where partners could augment our business.\u201d<\/p>\n