Interactive Gaming Ventures will provide experienced indie developers with much needed investment capital and management strategy to help them achieve greater scale and success. Over the last four years since starting his own consulting firm, Tretton realized that despite a rich talent pool of creative independent developers, many face challenges getting financial support for their projects and lack the long term experience of providing go to market solutions and corporate relationships to maximize their success. With funding in place, Interactive Gaming Ventures will seek to identify the best possible partners to achieve commercial success for all parties.
“Traditional private equity and venture firms appreciate the 100 billion dollar size of the gaming industry, but most lack the understanding and the comfort level to invest in it,” said Jack Tretton, Managing Partner, Interactive Gaming Ventures. “We provide these studios structure, cash infusion, and use our relationships to ensure that they are getting an appropriate share of voice from first parties backed by investors that know the industry and seek the outstanding financial returns that a well run publisher can provide.”
Tretton is joined by Managing Partner Doug Kennedy, the CEO of Studio Wildcard who drove its mega-hit ARK: Survival Evolved to more than 13M copies sold. Kennedy co-founded Reverb Communications, veteran PR agency, that helped launch mega hits Guitar Hero, Rock Band and PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds. In 2009, Kennedy launched Reverb’s indie publishing initiative to discover small, funded studios and bring their games to PC and console. Tretton and Kennedy’s combined 50 years of experience bring a high level of expertise in all aspects of successfully bringing games to market.
Interactive Gaming Ventures will provide the following resources to 2-3 select studios per year, allowing them to focus 100% of their attention on building games:
- Project Funding
- Development Support and Resources
- Full Service Marketing and Advertising
- Public Relations
- Distribution
- Publisher Relations
- Mergers and Acquisitions Resources
- Community Relations
- Brand Management
- General Operations Management
Jack Tretton is the former CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment America and a founding member of PlayStation’s original management team. Tretton was responsible for launching all of Sony’s consoles and portable devices including PS4. Tretton has publishing credits on more than 300 major software releases. Tretton has worked with Studio Wildcard since 2015 for the distribution of the mega hit franchise ARK: Survival Evolved and is a founding managing director of Ocean IQ Gaming and the funds investor in Blue Isle Studios, creators of Slender the Arrival, Valley and Citadel: Forged with Fire.