Fourth Wall Studios has raised $15 million to create a new game studio focused on alternate reality games and other entertainment that combines the digital world with the real world.
Los Angeles-based Fourth Wall, co-founded by alternate reality gaming pioneer Elan Lee, is partnering with Patrick Soon-Shiong to create the studio.
Lee was joined by Sean Stewart and Jim Stewartson in founding Fourth Wall and they will also be the leaders of the new studio, which will go by the same name. The funding comes from Soon-Shiong&'s California Capital Equity. Soon-Shiong is co-owner of the LA Lakers basketball team.
Fourth Wall focuses on &''transmedia&'' stories, which can stretch across a variety of devices, such as PCs, cell phones, or the real world via augmented reality. One of the best examples of Fourth Wall&'s work was the artistic radio drama that it hid within the Halo 3: ODST console video game.
a4‚¬ARight now, there is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to produce the iconic properties that will help define the landscape of entertainment for the 21st century,&'' Stewartson said.
Lee, Stewart and Stewartson have spent the last 15 years working on alternate reality games such as ilovebees.com, a web-focused campaign that set the stage for the launch of Microsoft&'s Halo 2 game in 2004. Now they will add social networks and other new media to their repertoire. New games will come in the next 12 months in partnership with film, TV, video game and publishing companies.
Fourth Wall was originally founded in 2007, but the new studio will be incorporated as a new company under the same name. Fourth Wall has 20 employees.
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Companies: Fourth Wall Studios
People: Elan Lee, Jim Stewartson, Patrick Soon-Shiong, Sean Stewart
Companies: Fourth Wall Studios
People: Elan Lee, Jim Stewartson, Patrick Soon-Shiong, Sean Stewart
Dean is lead writer for GamesBeat at VentureBeat. He covers video games, security, chips and a variety of other subjects. Dean previously worked at the San Jose Mercury News, the Wall Street Journal, the Red Herring, the Los Angeles Times, the Orange County Register and the Dallas Times Herald. He is the author of two books, Opening the Xbox and the Xbox 360 Uncloaked. Follow him on Twitter at @deantak, and follow VentureBeat on Twitter at @venturebeat.
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