'Super-Developer' IPO
New Addition to Team Possible
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Word has come out from the New York Times that the merger between Bioware and Pandemic Studios may result in an IPO of the new 'super-developer.' Former EA president John Riccitiello's Elevation Partners brought the studios together in a $300 million deal early last month under the temporary title of VG Holdings.
Pandemic president Josh Resnick believes that the developer could go public by modeling itself after Pixar, the CG movie company backed by Apple's Steve Jobs. Pixar has managed to elude media conglomerates and remain independent due to its public nature. "We don't see why there can't be the same model in the video game industry," Resnick told the NY Times.
By and large analysts see the move as a bad idea since few development companies worldwide have been able to stay afloat. The Bioware/Pandemic team would be the first developer to go public in the US but Wedbush Morgan Securities analyst Michael Pachter believes they would also sink, flatly stating "they don't have any chance of success."
One rumor that has not been addressed by any party linked to the 'super-developer' is that the two-team studio may receive a third leg to stand on. Elevation is reportedly shopping around for a third developer to add to the conglomerate, with most rumors claiming that UK-based Lionhead Studios is a strong target.
Source: GamesIndustry Article
Pandemic president Josh Resnick believes that the developer could go public by modeling itself after Pixar, the CG movie company backed by Apple's Steve Jobs. Pixar has managed to elude media conglomerates and remain independent due to its public nature. "We don't see why there can't be the same model in the video game industry," Resnick told the NY Times.
By and large analysts see the move as a bad idea since few development companies worldwide have been able to stay afloat. The Bioware/Pandemic team would be the first developer to go public in the US but Wedbush Morgan Securities analyst Michael Pachter believes they would also sink, flatly stating "they don't have any chance of success."
One rumor that has not been addressed by any party linked to the 'super-developer' is that the two-team studio may receive a third leg to stand on. Elevation is reportedly shopping around for a third developer to add to the conglomerate, with most rumors claiming that UK-based Lionhead Studios is a strong target.
Source: GamesIndustry Article