Dive Brief:
- Mattel announced the launch of the digital game organization Mattel Game Studios, the toy company said in a Thursday press release.
- Mattel Game Studios is part of Mattel Digital Studios, the company’s overarching digital game organization that oversees self-published titles and licensed games.
- Mattel Game Studios will “develop, publish and operate original interactive experiences” inspired by the toy company’s portfolio.
Dive Insight:
Mattel wants to further extend physical play into the virtual world.
Through Mattel Game Studios, the company is bringing together around 300 artists, designers, engineers, live operations specialists and producers across Los Angeles and Hangzhou, China.
“Mattel Game Studios gives us the scale and capabilities to build and publish more original gaming experiences inspired by our iconic brands,” Marcus Liassides, global head of Mattel Digital Studios, said in a statement. “Together with our successful collaborations across the industry, it strengthens our ability to reach fans through great games wherever they choose to play.”
The creation of Mattel Game Studios comes after the toy company acquired full ownership of Mattel163 mobile games studio in February, which develops digital games based on Mattel brands. Mattel Game Studios brings the company’s game development, publishing, marketing and brand capabilities under a single organization.
The acquisition of Mattel163 contributed nearly $49 million in revenue in Q2, Mattel CFO Paul Ruh said on a recent call with analysts.
Mattel Game Studios has already soft launched Uno Wild, with an eye toward a full global commercial distribution in early 2027, CEO Ynon Kreiz said in early August on the earnings call.
“What is exciting is to see how Uno Wild is shaping up. The game … hit all of its production milestones to date. And we are encouraged with the early progress,” Kreiz said. “We know that Uno is a strong brand that has a huge following. People are proactively looking for opportunities to engage with this brand.”
During Mattel’s second quarter, net sales were up 10% year over year to $1.1 billion. The company reported a net loss of $18 million compared to a net income of $53 million in the year-ago period.
