Esports production company and agency Skillshot Media, formerly owned by Hi-Rez Studios, has completed a management buyout.
The newly independent company will be headed by CEO Todd Harris, co-founder of Hi-Rez Studios, while Nabil Ismail, former VP of Hi-Rez will be COO at Skillshot.
Skillshot Media has already entered a strategic partnership with INAP, an IT infrastructure services provider, to develop a state-of-the-art 10,000 square foot esports centre and production studio facilities co-located with INAP’s data centre in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. The company says the new center will serve multiple game publishers and consumer brands.
Discussing the news CEO of Skillshot Media, Todd Harris, explained:
“With 15 years in game development and marketing, we have seen first-hand how a community-driven esports approach delivers results for both the game publisher and brand partners. Players who watch esports are more engaged and spend more money with the game publisher.
“Those players also have higher spending and goodwill toward partners who authentically support esports events. We believe brands that want to reach the next generation of consumers will discover esports to be the most effective and efficient way to connect with that massive audience, and Skillshot wants to help them do exactly that.”
While CMO at INAP, TJ Waldorf, added:
“Gaming and esports is not only the largest entertainment industry but one of the most demanding in terms of performance. INAP is proud to have powered esports communities for over a decade, and this strategic partnership with Skillshot allows us to even better serve the fast growing gaming and esports industry.”
