As Variety expands its coverage of gaming, Jennifer Maas has been promoted to senior business writer, TV and video games. She will lead the entertainment news brand’s heightened coverage of the video game industry with special emphasis on the convergence of game content and IP with TV shows, movies, books and other media.
With the promotion, Maas will drive enterprise reporting, features and breaking news coverage of gaming and related subjects, in addition to her duties covering TV business news. Variety’s focus on the growing gaming sector, estimated to be a $184 billion market globally in 2023 per research firm Newzoo, is also enhanced by analysis and special reports produced by Variety VIP+, the subscription research service for the media business. VIP+ media analyst Kaare Eriksen has been writing analysis and special reports about the videogame industry for several years.
“Jennifer Maas has brought an energy and a focus to...
With the promotion, Maas will drive enterprise reporting, features and breaking news coverage of gaming and related subjects, in addition to her duties covering TV business news. Variety’s focus on the growing gaming sector, estimated to be a $184 billion market globally in 2023 per research firm Newzoo, is also enhanced by analysis and special reports produced by Variety VIP+, the subscription research service for the media business. VIP+ media analyst Kaare Eriksen has been writing analysis and special reports about the videogame industry for several years.
“Jennifer Maas has brought an energy and a focus to...
- 6/4/2024
- by William Earl
- Variety Film + TV
The Walt Disney Co. is building out its video game business, announcing new hires and promotions in its gaming division as it seeks to grow its presence in the space.
The newly-expanded executive ranks come just a couple of months after Disney announced a major deal with Epic Games in which it would invest $1.5 billion into the company and work to create a new gaming universe with Disney franchise IP.
Disney’s top gaming executive, Sean Shoptaw, has been promoted to executive VP of the division.
And the division is announcing two big new hires: Ray Gresko, who will be senior VP of product and development; and Bjorn Tornqvist, who will be VP of games technology. Gresko joins from Blizzard Entertainment where he developed games like Overwatch and Diablo III; while Tornqvist worked on the tech side at Ubisoft.
Meanwhile, Jay Ong, who has led the Marvel Games team for a decade,...
The newly-expanded executive ranks come just a couple of months after Disney announced a major deal with Epic Games in which it would invest $1.5 billion into the company and work to create a new gaming universe with Disney franchise IP.
Disney’s top gaming executive, Sean Shoptaw, has been promoted to executive VP of the division.
And the division is announcing two big new hires: Ray Gresko, who will be senior VP of product and development; and Bjorn Tornqvist, who will be VP of games technology. Gresko joins from Blizzard Entertainment where he developed games like Overwatch and Diablo III; while Tornqvist worked on the tech side at Ubisoft.
Meanwhile, Jay Ong, who has led the Marvel Games team for a decade,...
- 4/8/2024
- by Alex Weprin
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Not long after he returned as Disney’s CEO in late 2022, Bob Iger sat down with Josh D’Amaro, Disney’s head of parks and experiences, and Sean Shoptaw, the company’s head of games, to be briefed about the media habits of young consumers.
“The first thing they showed me were the demographic trends,” Iger recalled, speaking to Wall Street analysts Feb. 7. “When I saw Gen Z and Gen Alpha and even millennials, and I saw the amount of time they were spending in terms of their total media screen time on video games, it was stunning to me, equal to what they spend on TV and movies.”
The conclusion he reached: “We have to be there, and we have to be there as soon as we possibly can in a very compelling way,” Iger added, noting that historically Disney has simply licensed its IP to outside game studios.
The...
“The first thing they showed me were the demographic trends,” Iger recalled, speaking to Wall Street analysts Feb. 7. “When I saw Gen Z and Gen Alpha and even millennials, and I saw the amount of time they were spending in terms of their total media screen time on video games, it was stunning to me, equal to what they spend on TV and movies.”
The conclusion he reached: “We have to be there, and we have to be there as soon as we possibly can in a very compelling way,” Iger added, noting that historically Disney has simply licensed its IP to outside game studios.
The...
- 2/14/2024
- by Alex Weprin
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
From Hollywood strikes to the ascent of AI to sinking stock prices, 2023 was a topsy-turvy year for media and entertainment.
Cynthia Littleton and Andrew Wallenstein, hosts of Variety podcast “Strictly Business,” discuss the highs and lows of the past year on the latest episode.
Wallenstein, president and chief media analyst of Variety Intelligence Platform data division, pointed to the spread of easy-to-use generative AI tools as the biggest unknown that is casting a cloud over the industry. “This is something that is still just in the very early stages of transforming so many processes, particularly in production — and even of course beyond this industry,” Wallenstein observed.
The hosts also discuss the twists and turns of the streaming wars in a year when traditional Hollywood faced steep cuts. Netflix earned the right to do a “victory lap,” the hosts agreed, for solidifying its global lead in streaming subscribers.
“It was the...
Cynthia Littleton and Andrew Wallenstein, hosts of Variety podcast “Strictly Business,” discuss the highs and lows of the past year on the latest episode.
Wallenstein, president and chief media analyst of Variety Intelligence Platform data division, pointed to the spread of easy-to-use generative AI tools as the biggest unknown that is casting a cloud over the industry. “This is something that is still just in the very early stages of transforming so many processes, particularly in production — and even of course beyond this industry,” Wallenstein observed.
The hosts also discuss the twists and turns of the streaming wars in a year when traditional Hollywood faced steep cuts. Netflix earned the right to do a “victory lap,” the hosts agreed, for solidifying its global lead in streaming subscribers.
“It was the...
- 1/4/2024
- by Cynthia Littleton
- Variety Film + TV
Matthew Byrd Feb 13, 2020
Disney wants more game studios to explore the creative potential of adaptations.
In a fascinating speech at the 2020 Dice Summit, Sean Shoptaw (senior vp games and interactive experiences at Disney) stated that Disney wants developers to explore the creative possibilities of their various franchises.
"I'm here for one specific reason: to empower you to do really unique things with our [catalog]," Shoptaw says. "We want to tap into the power of creatives across the industry."
Shoptaw also referenced Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Insomniac Games' Spider-Man for PS4 as two examples of studios telling new stories within Disney controlled properties and achieving critical and sales success as a result. The overall message seems to have been for other studios to come to Disney with their own original pitches for future titles.
There are a few things that have to be said about that before we move on.
Disney wants more game studios to explore the creative potential of adaptations.
In a fascinating speech at the 2020 Dice Summit, Sean Shoptaw (senior vp games and interactive experiences at Disney) stated that Disney wants developers to explore the creative possibilities of their various franchises.
"I'm here for one specific reason: to empower you to do really unique things with our [catalog]," Shoptaw says. "We want to tap into the power of creatives across the industry."
Shoptaw also referenced Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Insomniac Games' Spider-Man for PS4 as two examples of studios telling new stories within Disney controlled properties and achieving critical and sales success as a result. The overall message seems to have been for other studios to come to Disney with their own original pitches for future titles.
There are a few things that have to be said about that before we move on.
- 2/13/2020
- Den of Geek
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